The Reason For Our Joy

Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy!

I took my favorite picture of my son when he was about four. He’d been spinning in circles as he ran around my parents’ big backyard. In the photo, he is laughing and his arms are raised high. Both his body and his face express one emotion: pure joy.

No wonder I think of this picture when I read the opening verses of Psalm 126, which celebrate the Israelites’ return from Babylonian exile. God had fulfilled His promise to bring His people home, and they couldn’t stop singing, laughing, and telling others about His goodness. I even imagine them pinching themselves when the psalmist says their return was “like a dream!” (verse 1). Exuberance was on full display—just as it’s written all over my son’s face in that photo.

God pours His grace on us every day, giving us many reasons to rejoice. Of course, we still live in a broken world, and the psalmist acknowledges that, too. My son has faced many difficulties since that sunny day when he was four, and it’s clear from the later books of the Old Testament that the Israelites faced challenges when they returned to their land. Perhaps that is why the psalmist also talks of weeping and planting “in tears” (verse 5) as he calls on the Lord to “restore our fortunes” (verse 4).

In this life, we treasure moments of pure joy in part because they are so fleeting. Yet embracing and capturing those glimpses of God’s goodness—whether in our minds’ eye or in our photo albums—leaves imprints of hope in our hearts. God’s loving-kindness has become real to us, so even when difficulty creeps back into our lives, we know we can “harvest with shouts of joy” (verse 5).

So if you see the Lord working in an amazing way today, celebrate! And if the day brings trouble instead, remember that God will bless you as you faithfully follow His leading. He is at work redeeming and restoring your life, even as you wait for the day when He guides you all the way home.

Rest Assured

Heavenly Father, thank You that joy is a hallmark of Your Kingdom. Whether or not my circumstances give me reason to be joyful today, help me to celebrate Your goodness and to wait with hope.

Rest in Him: Romans 15:13