"The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad!" Psalm 126:3
So God led me back to Psalm 126 this morning. The last two verses of this psalm were the focus of a post from last month, and lo and behold, I'm back there again. Shocker.
This time, however, the remaining verses are my focus. The psalm itself is brief. Just six verses, equivalent to volumes and volumes of wisdom and insight into God's character and our walk with Him. The psalmist is offering praise to God for "return from captivity," and also asks for restoration for whatever was seemingly lost during that time of captivity ("Restore our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South" verse 4). After a season of captivity and hardship, there comes a season of joyfulness and restoration.
During the past twenty-four hours, God has revealed Himself to me in such a special way in the lives of two couples I know. I don't call myself close friends with either couple, but we have enough of a friendship for me to be aware of their struggles and hopes. Both of these couples experienced difficulty having a child of their own, and then experienced the agony of waiting for a child to come their way through adoption. In both cases, their faith remained strong and they were such an encouragement to me. Yesterday I received news that one couple was finalizing an adoption of a precious baby boy, and the other was going to pick up their own baby boy today. I feel such joy for these friends and am amazed at God's perfect timing and sovereignty.
God showed me through this that times of joy will always follow times of weeping. He will restore whatever we think we lost during times of captivity, and in EVERY case we'll find that He gives us more than we ever thought possible. He mourns with us and rejoices with us, and I have no doubt that when He led these friends of mine to their babies, He had a HUGE smile on His face.
If you find yourself in a season of mourning right now, God is there with you. He has already laid plans for you and will lead you out in His perfect timing. And He will restore what was lost during that time of captivity. Lean on Him and allow this trial to draw you closer to Him.
If you find yourself in a season of joy, God is there with you. He rejoices with you, but also longs for you to share your joy with Him. Lean on Him and allow your joyful shouting to praise His name.
No matter where you find yourself, remember that God is good....ALL THE TIME!
So God led me back to Psalm 126 this morning. The last two verses of this psalm were the focus of a post from last month, and lo and behold, I'm back there again. Shocker.
This time, however, the remaining verses are my focus. The psalm itself is brief. Just six verses, equivalent to volumes and volumes of wisdom and insight into God's character and our walk with Him. The psalmist is offering praise to God for "return from captivity," and also asks for restoration for whatever was seemingly lost during that time of captivity ("Restore our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South" verse 4). After a season of captivity and hardship, there comes a season of joyfulness and restoration.
During the past twenty-four hours, God has revealed Himself to me in such a special way in the lives of two couples I know. I don't call myself close friends with either couple, but we have enough of a friendship for me to be aware of their struggles and hopes. Both of these couples experienced difficulty having a child of their own, and then experienced the agony of waiting for a child to come their way through adoption. In both cases, their faith remained strong and they were such an encouragement to me. Yesterday I received news that one couple was finalizing an adoption of a precious baby boy, and the other was going to pick up their own baby boy today. I feel such joy for these friends and am amazed at God's perfect timing and sovereignty.
God showed me through this that times of joy will always follow times of weeping. He will restore whatever we think we lost during times of captivity, and in EVERY case we'll find that He gives us more than we ever thought possible. He mourns with us and rejoices with us, and I have no doubt that when He led these friends of mine to their babies, He had a HUGE smile on His face.
If you find yourself in a season of mourning right now, God is there with you. He has already laid plans for you and will lead you out in His perfect timing. And He will restore what was lost during that time of captivity. Lean on Him and allow this trial to draw you closer to Him.
If you find yourself in a season of joy, God is there with you. He rejoices with you, but also longs for you to share your joy with Him. Lean on Him and allow your joyful shouting to praise His name.
No matter where you find yourself, remember that God is good....ALL THE TIME!
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