Evening Service | 2nd Jan | Psalm 126: 3

It is a great pleasure to be here with you all this evening to bring you the word.

Please turn with me, if you would, in the word of God to Psalm 126.

Our text this evening is particularly verse 3, but we will look at and read the whole psalm.

Psalm 126, let us hear God's own word.

A song of ascents.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy.

Then they said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them.

The Lord has done great things for us.

We are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev.

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.

So far, the reading of God's word.

Psalm 126 is one of 15 psalms that all bear the title Songs of Ascents.

Or we might translate that as Songs of Going Up.

Or maybe even Songs of Climbing Stairs.

And scholars are somewhat divided as to exactly what that title means.

But it seems related to the annual pilgrimages that God had said to ancient Israel.

The people were to make three times a year to Jerusalem.

Three times in the year.

Faithful Israelites, at least men with their older sons representing their families, though women and other children could come too.

They were to go to Jerusalem to worship God.

And that must have been quite a burden on a lot of people.

Three times in the year to leave behind family and work.

Many would have been farmers.

They would have been concerned about the farm.

Many would have lived far from Jerusalem, near border areas.

They would have been concerned about enemies coming in to attack, perhaps, while they were gone.

Many would have had to make difficult journeys.

They couldn't just pile the family in the car and drive there in an hour.

And so we may wonder, why did God impose such a difficult burden on his people?

At Passover, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, they were to go up to Jerusalem to worship.

But God tells his people why he has laid this requirement upon them.

In Exodus 34, verse 24, where he says,

Exodus 34:24

For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders.

No one shall covet your land when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

And what God is saying here is,

When you go up three times a year, you will remember that I gave you the land.

And as I gave it to you, so will I preserve it for you.

This is an exercise in which you can remember the blessings of the Lord,

in which you can call to mind again that it is not by the skill of your farming,

that it is not by the strength you have to protect your border,

that you have what you have and you are what you are.

But it is because the Lord has given it to you.

And one of the things that is striking about these 15 psalms,

that may well have been sung when the pilgrims went up to Jerusalem,

or that may well have been sung when the pilgrims arrived in Jerusalem,

is how they celebrate different ways in which the Lord comes to his people to deliver them.

We can summarize them if we wanted to in short lines.

Psalm 120 is about how the Lord delivers.

Psalm 121, how the Lord keeps or guards.

We could go on through the songs of ascents,

how the Lord helps, how the Lord surrounds,

how the Lord builds, how the Lord blesses,

how the Lord forgives, how the Lord remembers.

And you see, these relatively brief songs are all intended to draw the mind of God's people back to the Lord

and to the various ways in which he remembers and blesses and provides for his people.

And this particular psalm, we might well say, could be summarized as the Lord restores.

Verse 1, we read,

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion.

God restores blessings to his people.

That's part of the character of our God.

And the first half of this psalm looks backward,

reflecting on the ways in which God restored his people in times past.

And the second half of this psalm looks forward

to how the Lord is going to restore the fortunes of his people in the future.

So it seemed to me a good psalm to think about at this time of year,

the beginning of a new year,

when we're prone to look back at the year past

and to look forward to the year to come,

that we might also reflect on what God has done

and what God promises that he will do.

And I'd like to suggest tonight that we can take a text from this psalm

for the new year of 2022.

A text that can direct us, inspire us, encourage us,

at least for the rest of the evening.

And it can be a verse, I think, to have in our mind

to encourage us as we live for the Lord in this year.

And that verse is Psalm 126, verse 3.

Psalms 126:3

The Lord has done great things for us.

We are glad.

The Lord has done great things for us.

We are glad.

This verse declares to us that we should know something.

And it's an important thing for us to know

because there are many in this world, sadly, who do not know it

or are those who are prone to forget it.

You and I are prone to forget the truth of this verse

amid the trouble and the difficulty and the struggle of this life.

But this verse calls upon us to know, to acknowledge,

to embrace that unique relationship that exists with our covenant God.

Know that the Lord, Yahweh, the covenant God of his people,

He has done great things for us.

This is a verse about God's grace, about his provision,

about his mercy for his people.

Know that the Lord has done great things for you

if you are among his people.

And that should be a great encouragement for all of us in the new year.

That should help guide and direct us in our living.

We are those for whom the Lord has done great things.

And we need to know that.

We need to remember that.

We need to be reminded of that

so that when we find ourselves in need,

when we find ourselves discouraged,

when we find ourselves depleted,

tired, angry, anxious,

feeling losses in this life,

we can be assured that our God is a restoring God.

That the grace of our God surrounds us as his people to restore us.

So how does this psalm draw us to that truth

that God is a restoring God?

Well, the first half of this psalm really invites us to remember.

To remember what God has done for us in the past.

The Israelites, as they walked to Jerusalem,

had many things to think back on, didn't they?

That God had done for them.

How God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt

through his servant Moses.

How God had established a kingdom and a holy city for them

through his servant David.

How God had brought them back out of exile

and given them once more a land,

even after their sin and disobedience.

Perhaps the particular focus of this psalm.

How God again and again and again restored his people.

And we can look back at the history of the church, can't we?

And think of times of restoration.

Times amid chaos and controversy

when God restored his church.

In the ancient church.

We might think especially of the time of the Reformation.

God throughout the history of his people

comes from time to time

in remarkable power and blessing

to restore our fortunes.

Fortunes there not meaning riches,

but restoring the well-being of his people.

And it is good for us to think back

on those times of blessing

from the hand of the Lord.

As he builds up his church,

as he restores the life of his people.

But it's not just the blessings

that the Lord brings

into the people of God as a whole,

on a grand scale in view here.

This psalm, I think,

invites us to consider

more personally,

more individually,

about those times of blessing

and restoration and renewal

that the Lord brings into our own lives.

In fact, we might notice

that the next psalm

is a celebration of family.

The psalm after that

is a celebration of prosperity,

even in this life.

And I think that's not accidental.

So this psalm encourages us,

and certainly this time of year

encourages us to look back

and think,

how many are the blessings

that I've received

from the hands of the Lord,

even in my own personal life.

Maybe I wasn't at the Exodus,

or at the establishment of Jerusalem

at the capital city,

or even at the Reformation.

None of us here are that old,

I think.

But I see, nevertheless,

in my own family life,

in the life of my friends,

in the life of my work,

the hand of the Lord's blessing,

how he has been with me in the past,

how he has restored

and done so

in so many wonderful ways.

And of course, above all,

when we think of the restoration

of our God,

of his mercies in the past,

we must think of our Lord Jesus Christ.

That's why we've read

from Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

the wonderful sermon of Peter,

as he had healed the lame man.

But Peter did not want anyone

to think that this wonderful work of God

came from him,

or from anyone else.

It was a wonderful work of God

that should draw attention

only to Jesus Christ,

and the times of refreshing,

as he wrote.

The times of refreshment

that come from the hand of our Savior.

Times of refreshment.

It's a phrase we find

only there in Acts 3

in the New Testament.

Times of refreshment.

Times of restoration.

But that captures, I think,

the spirit of the first half

of Psalm 126.

That the Lord comes to his people

with times of restoration,

with times of refreshment.

And I hope for every one of us here,

at the end of 2021,

however difficult this year may have been,

a year that has been filled

with real difficulty for many of us,

that we can also look back

and think,

the refreshment of the Lord,

the restoration of the Lord,

the grace of the Lord,

the mercy of the Lord,

has been with me.

And this psalm

is a very happy psalm.

You might just go through some time

and underline

the number of times

the word joy appears

in this psalm.

When the psalmist,

or when the pilgrims, perhaps,

as they're heading towards Jerusalem,

think about what the Lord

has done for them,

they say,

we were like men who dreamed.

Have you ever had that experience?

Something happened to you

that's so good

that you can hardly believe it.

That's what the psalmist here is saying.

When we contemplate

those times of restoring

from the hand of the Lord,

sometimes we just have to step back

and say,

how can this be?

Am I dreaming

that the Lord would be so good,

so kind,

so merciful to me?

How could I have ever deserved this?

Am I dreaming?

Our mouth,

the text says,

was filled with laughter,

and our tongue

with shouts of joy.

Mouths filled with laughter.

It's a beautiful picture,

isn't it?

Laughter, I think,

may not always be

our greatest strength,

especially as Presbyterians

sitting in church,

but this psalm encourages us

to think about

that joy bubbling up in the heart,

so profound that we can't hold it back.

Songs of joy,

such blessings

that the psalmist says,

even the nations,

even the Gentiles

have to stand back and say,

the Lord has done

great things for them.

Great things.

Great things for them.

Do you know

that in your own heart

that the Lord

has done great things

for you?

It is one thing

to say with the nations,

the Lord has done

great things for them.

The nations watched

while Pharaoh

and his armies

were plunged into the sea.

A great thing of God.

And they shuddered.

But it's another thing

to say with the people of God,

the Lord has done

great things for us.

Moses and the Israelites

crossed through

on dry ground.

A great thing of God.

And they smiled.

And of course,

in the coming of our Lord Jesus,

the nations,

the Gentiles,

don't only stand back

and observe

great things of God

or only wonder

at the power of our Lord

as he comes

in great judgment

against them.

But the Lord is now

doing great things

for them too.

Praise God for that

or probably none of us

would be here tonight.

We're included

in the restoration,

in the times of refreshing,

so that we too

can say with Israel of old,

the Lord has done

great things for us.

And we are filled with joy.

Do you know that?

Do you feel that?

It's okay to feel things.

Don't overdo it.

But it is okay to feel things.

And this is what should

well up within us

when we think of the Lord

Jesus Christ

and his saving work for us.

When we think of God's

faithfulness to his people

through the centuries.

When we think

how he overcame

again and again

the sin and rebellion

of his people,

we should be filled

with joy.

We should be filled

with thanksgiving

that the Lord

has done such things,

that the Lord

has done

great things

for us.

It's interesting

to note

just a couple of

psalms over.

In Psalm 131,

David,

in another song

of ascents,

writes,

O Lord,

my heart is not

lifted up,

my eyes are not

raised too high,

I do not occupy

myself with things

too great

and too marvelous

for me.

With things

too great,

with great things.

It's the same phrase.

David the king

is saying,

you know,

great things

aren't really

for me.

Why does he say that?

Not to deny

that he has

responsibilities

that are serious,

but to confess

before the Lord

that even though

he is king,

great things

ultimately,

always,

only belong

to God.

It is God

who is always

the one doing

great things

for his people.

And that's why

we rejoice.

That's why

we are filled

with joy.

That's the truth

of our past

as the people

of God.

But this psalm

goes on to say

that's the truth

of our future

as the people

of God as well.

Verse 4,

restore our fortunes,

O Lord.

This implies

that in the present

things are

somewhat problematic

for the people

of God.

They look back

to a great day

of blessing.

They look forward

to a great day

of blessing,

but they're praying

for that blessing

because the present

is difficult.

Restore our fortunes,

O Lord,

like streams

in the Negev,

like streams

in the wilderness,

like water

in the desert.

What is the picture

of water

in the desert?

It's unexpected,

isn't it?

Because water

is so often

unexpected

in the desert.

But it's also

delightful.

It's powerful.

The delightfulness

of suddenly seeing

the desert

overflowing,

even blooming

in all of its beauty.

That's the image

we're given

for when God

restores the fortunes

of his people.

Unexpected,

delightful,

glorious,

wonderful times

of refreshing

from the hand

of the Lord.

Lord.

And we should

look forward

to that.

We should

anticipate that.

We should be

confident in that.

But there's also

a kind of hard

realism in this

psalm,

isn't there?

The psalmist

is never sentimental,

but is always

honest.

Verses 5

and 6.

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.

This is,

of course,

the picture

of a farmer,

isn't it?

A farmer

who begins

by sowing

the seed

and then

only months

later is able

to reap

the harvest.

And the

picture drawn

here is of

a farmer

who finds

it hard

to do

that work,

knowing that

there will

be fruit

to it

only months

later,

and then

only should

the Lord

bless his

labor.

So the

sowing is

seen as

this hard

struggle

of weeping.

But the

promise is

that out

of that

hard struggle

will come

blessing

and fruit

and joy.

And that's

a description

of the

Christian

life,

isn't it?

First

comes

suffering

and then

comes

glory.

First

comes

suffering

and then

comes

glory.

It's the

picture of

David's

life as

he suffered

under

Saul

and only

later

enjoyed

the fruits

of kingship.

It's

certainly

the picture

of our

Lord

Jesus

Christ

who

suffered

in this

world

only

later

to enjoy

the fruits

of

resurrection,

the glory

of

resurrection.

And the

psalmist

says to

us,

you know,

this may

well be

the picture

of your

life too.

It may

well be

that in

the present

it is

not so

clearly

good.

It is

not so

obviously

joyful.

It is

not so

evidently

wonderful

that this

life is

and often

can be

a life

of weeping.

I

often

think about

this

sometimes

at

baptism

recalling

the

words

of one

of the

old

Reformation

era

forms

for

baptism.

Some

of you

may

know

it.

The

prayer

that

God

in

his

mercy

would

be

pleased

to

call

out

of

this

life

this

one

baptized

out

of

this

life

which

is

nothing

but

a

constant

death.

I've

wondered

is that

too

strong?

does

that

too

much

deny

the

blessings

of

this

life?

The

joys

of

this

life?

I

think

it's

right

to

say

that

this

life

even

amidst

blessing

and

joy

is

filled

so

often

with

suffering

from

sin

that

it

can

be

a

veil

of

tears

if

not

only

at

least

really

and

truly.

But

there

is a

promise

here

isn't

there?

There

is a

promise

of

laughter

of

shouts

of

joy

there's

a

promise

of

times

of

refreshment

even

here

in

this

life.

But

Acts

Acts 3 · chapter mention

chapter

3

not

only

promises

times

of

refreshment

in

this

life

but

also

it

calls

us

to

look

forward

doesn't

it?

To

a

time

of

restoration

of

everything.

Acts

Acts 3:20

chapter

3

verse

20

Pray

that

he

may

send

the

Christ

appointed

for

you

Jesus

who

must

remain

in

heaven

until

the

time

comes

for

God

to

restore

everything.

And at

the beginning

of a

new year

it's

good

for us

to remember

that a

time is

coming

when God

will

restore

everything

when

Jesus

Christ

returns

in

glory.

That's

our ultimate

hope

isn't

it?

God

that

no

matter

how

good

the

harvest

of

2022

will

be,

no

matter

how

glad

we

are

to

turn

the

page

of

the

calendar,

to

move

on

from

difficult

times

for

so

many

of

us

of

isolation,

of

illness,

of

the

needs

we

have

as

sinful

creatures

in

a

sinful

world,

that

this

is

not

a

restoration

of

everything,

but a

restoration

is

promised

to

us

one

day

in

the

glorious

appearing

of

our

Lord

Jesus

Christ.

And

whatever

the

weeping

of

this

life

has

been,

the

joy

of

that

great

day

will

be

unimaginable

to

everyone

who

is

in

Christ.

We

will

be

like

those

who

dream.

Then

there

will

be

laughter

and

shouts

of

joy

among

the

righteous.

So

as we

remember

God's

restoring

grace

in

the

past

and

as

we

look

forward

to

God's

restoring

grace

in

the

future,

what

are

we

to

do

in

the

present?

Well,

this

psalm

would

say

to

us

we're

to

pray.

Verse

4

is a

prayer.

Restore

our

fortunes,

O

Lord.

In

this

life,

one of

the

great

privileges

and

one

of

the

great

tasks

to

which

we are

called

is the

task

of

prayer.

Many

of you

will

know

one of

John

Calvin's

more

profound

statements

that

prayer

is the

chief

exercise

of

our

faith.

How

do we

build up

our

faith?

It's

by

praying.

Because

prayer

is a

turning

to

God

with

an

acknowledgement

that

he is

in

charge.

God

that

he is

the

one

who

can

do

what

we

cannot

do

for

ourselves.

That

he is

the

one

who

undergirds

us

with the

loving

arms

of a

father.

That

he is

the

one

who

has

given

us

the

gift

of

his

own

son

to

save

us

and

to

preserve

us.

That

he

is

the

one

who

sends

his

spirit

into

our

midst

to

refresh

us.

So it

is good

for us

to call

upon

him,

to plead

with

him,

that he

might

restore

us

when we

are in

need

of

times

of

refreshing,

times

of

restoration.

But we

should be

praying,

shouldn't we,

also for

one another.

We should

be praying

for the

difficult

times that

some of

us

face.

We

should be

praying

for the

church

around

the

world,

some

of our

brothers

and sisters

who are

persecuted,

or living

in parts

of the

world

where the

church

has become

so old

and weak

or

impressed

more with

itself

than with

the Savior

that it

seems

hardly to

function.

We

should be

praying

with the

psalmist,

restore

our

fortunes,

O

Lord.

But as

we pray,

we should

remember,

too,

that our

Lord Jesus

Christ is

still praying

for us.

He

still

knows

our

needs.

He

still

sees

us

in

our

difficulties.

He

prays

to the

Father

for us

that we

might be

guarded

and

protected.

Hebrews

7.25

tells us

He

always

intercedes

for His

people.

Hebrews

4.14

reminds us

He

is still

the

great

high

priest.

Hebrews

9.24

tells us

He

appears

in

God's

presence

for us.

Isaiah

53.13

reminds us

He

made

intercession

for

transgressors.

And that's

a critical

part of

the ministry

of our

Lord Jesus

Christ

that is

still

going on

to this

day.

Does that

encourage you

in your own

praying?

that we

have a

Savior

who also

prays

for us

that when

we

struggle

we can

know

as our

Lord Jesus

Christ

said to

Peter

I have

prayed

for you

that your

faith may

not fail.

I have

prayed

for you

so go

and strengthen

the brothers

in the

faith.

Often

it seems

we pray

just thinking

that if

only we

could pray

hard enough

or long

enough

or loud

enough

then perhaps

then God

would hear

us.

But we

need to

remember

that Jesus

stands there

next to us

and for us

praying with

us as well

as for us

carrying our

prayers to

the Father

standing before

the Father

as the

sacrifice

with his

wounds yet

there present

in heaven

caring for

us

guarding

us

always ready

to restore

us.

Romans

8.34

says

Christ

is at

the right

hand of

God

and is

also

interceding

for us.

He's

there as

the glorified

Savior.

He's

there as

the Son

seated at

the place

of honor

but he's

also there

interceding

still

providing

still

praying

still

ready

to restore

us

in our

need.

And what

an encouragement

is that we

have such a

Savior

and such

a mediator

who always

cares for

us

who never

forgets

us

who never

lets us

go

who never

ceases

to provide

so that

when we

plead to

God

to restore

our fortunes

we can have

confidence

when we

look back

in joy

at God's

restoring

grace

and when we

look forward

in joy

with anticipation

of God's

restoring

grace

we look

ultimately

at our

Savior

and then

in Christ

we can

say

my God

goes before

me

my God

goes with

me

my God

surrounds

me

my God

provides

for me

even

water

in the

desert

even

water

in the

desert

whether

this is

a year

of great

blessing

or a

year

of much

weeping

the promise

of the

Lord

stands

strong

weeping

may last

for a

night

but joy

comes

in the

morning

sowing

may be

tough

in the

springtime

but oh

it is

sweet

in the

autumn

when the

sheaves

are gathered

and that's

the promise

that God

will restore

all things

one day

that there

is a

future

for the

people

of God

but even

in the

meantime

even

now

in the

meantime

God

promises

that he

will season

our lives

with refreshment

that he

will use

his gracious

power

to sustain

us

that in

our need

he provides

that in

our weakness

he is strong

that in

our hunger

and in

our thirst

he prepares

a table

for us

in the

wilderness

before the

presence

of our

enemies

that he

feeds us

with himself

that our

cup

overflows

even as we

come to hear

the word

preached to us

on the

Lord's day

when we see

the eternal

word made

visible

in baptism

in the

Lord's

supper

those signs

and seals

of the

covenant

of grace

we are

nourished

and we

can marvel

in great

confidence

with the

psalmist

and say

God

has restored

my soul

and we

can say

with the

psalmist

surely

surely

goodness

and mercy

will follow

me all

the days

of my

life

for the

Lord

has done

great

things

for us

the

Lord

has done

great

things

for us

we are

glad

let's

pray to

that end

for the

year

2022

amen

let us

pray

oh

Lord

how rich

and encouraging

is your

word

and how

precious

is the

promise

that

in Jesus

Christ

you have

done

great

things

for us

and how

thankful

we are

that beyond

what we

could hope

beyond

what we

could do

you are

our

righteousness

and you

are our

refuge

and you

are our

rest

and we

pray that

out of

that great

saving

work

that you

have done

for us

in Jesus

Christ

that we

might be

a people

who knows

how great

a God

we have

that knows

the greatness

of our

sin and

misery

in our

guilt

that knows

how great

a deliverer

you are

in your

grace

and that

knows how

we are

to be

thankful

to you

for such

a deliverance

and such

a restoration

and gratitude

but Lord

we would also

be bold

to pray

that often

in the new

year

we might

be able

to say

with joy

the Lord

has done

great things

for us

but we

would pray

that even

in the

times of

weeping

that must

come

we would

still say

the Lord

has done

great things

for us

and we

pray that

in this

coming year

our hearts

over and

over again

would be

filled with

praise

and prayer

for you

are great

and good

beyond our

imagining

and we

would also

pray

oh Lord

come

quickly

come

quickly

Lord

Jesus

and restore

everything

and fill

our hearts

and our

mouths

with laughter

and with

songs of

joy

forevermore

hear us

for we pray

in Jesus

name

Amen

excuse me

would you

please stand

for our

final item

of praise

this morning

we sang

Psalm 23

in the

Sing Psalms

version

so I thought

tonight we would

sing it in the

superior version

of the old

Scottish Psalter

so let us

sing the words

of the Psalm

together