The God Who Restores, wk3d1; A Love God Greatly Study
Today’s Reading: Psalm 126
Today’s SOAP: Psalm 126:4-6
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb! Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:4-6
I have gotten behind on a few things and will be posting a little differently this week, or at least for a few days this week (as time will tell). I trust you will understand and bear with me – I am borrowing devotional writings from the LGG Team provided in the journals and will be posting my SOAP/thoughts on the passage in the comment sections, as I hope you will do too. 😊
INTO THE TEXT – A LOVE GOD GREATLY DEVOTION
w3d1 of The God Who Restores, p90
The people of Israel had seen God’s restoration. They had seen Him restore Zion in such miraculous ways that they believed they were dreaming. They shouted for joy, praising God for the incredible things He accomplished for them. God had brought the people back from exile in Babylon and restored and rebuilt the temple and the city walls in Jerusalem.
This psalm was written after that restoration, when the people of Israel were again waiting for God’s deliverance. They were once again in desperate need of His healing and His intervention and this psalm reminded them of His faithfulness and gave them joy as they looked to what He would do in the future. Though they were still awaiting God’s restoration, they remembered His kindness, compassion, and faithfulness.
This week, we focus on the incredible joy we have in the Lord. After remembering the promise of His return and our great need for Him, we turn our focus to the joy that we already have in him and the fullness of joy we will have when He has restored us.
When we focus on the joy we have in the Lord, no matter our circumstance, we find hope. We do not ignore our suffering, but we focus on God’s faithfulness and what He promises to do. He promises to restore the world. He promises to return, defeat the enemy, and establish His kingdom on earth. God promises to dwell with us forever and to give us eternal life when we place our faith in Him.
[Since we know] God can keep these incredible promises to us, and [because we know] he can restore the world, surely He can restore our current circumstances. Not only is He powerful enough to intervene, but He cares deeply about the pain and sorrow we face today. He promises to restore all things. Though God’s ways and timing may look different than what we hope for, we can have joy as we anticipate His fulfilled promises and His coming restoration. May we shout for joy, even as we wait for Him.
Written by an LGG Team Member
Today’s Reflection:
- How have you seen God restore your life or circumstances in the past?
- What are you asking of Him or waiting for Him to do for you today?
- How does His past faithfulness give you joy in your present season of waiting?
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