Psalm Ch126v1-6

Good morning again, and I'd love you to turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 126.

Psalm 126, if you're using one of the Red Church Bibles, it's on 623.

So Psalm 126 on page 623.

So Psalm 126, page 623 of the Red Church Bible.

It reads,

I've been reading a book recently.

The main character in the book is a man by the name of John.

John is in his 70s and is reflecting on his life and much of what has happened during the course of his life.

Now, John in his life has had more than his fair share of grief.

He had lost a wife and a child at a relatively young age.

And on one occasion, as he's looking back on his life, he remembers an occasion when his friend who loved John had a newborn baby son.

And so the friend thought, wouldn't it be a lovely way to honor John and even to console John a little bit, to name the son after him?

Now, the friend doesn't tell John in advance that this is what he's going to do.

And so on the first occasion, when John meets this new little baby and is holding him in his arms,

the friend tells him, I'm going to name him John after you.

Now, it's church on a Sunday morning that he does this.

And so it's a very public occasion.

And John is pretty taken aback by the friend doing this.

And he doesn't really know how to react or respond.

He doesn't have a chance to gather himself at this news.

And so what should have been a wonderful moment where he feels honored and happy and joyful becomes a moment of real regret.

Because he's like, how do I respond to this?

How do I react with all these people looking at me?

And he wonders in years after that how his response shaped the relationship with the son who came to be known as Jack.

What should have been a moment of joy and happiness becomes one of sadness and regret.

And as he reflects on it, he thinks to himself, this wasn't the way it should have been.

This wasn't the way it should have been.

And if you are like me living in this world where we can hardly get through a week where we think sooner or later,

this isn't the way it was meant to be,

then we can resonate with what the author of this psalm writes in verse 4 where he says,

restore our fortunes, Lord.

And essentially what the psalmist is asking God to do is to make things right.

Make life the way it was supposed to be.

When we feel that in our health, in our work, in our friendships, in our relationships,

when we think this isn't the way it was meant to be,

what we long for is that it would be the way it was meant to be,

that it would be the way God has made it to be or intended it to be.

And so as we reflect on this psalm, there are two thoughts that move the author to pray this prayer,

to pray, restore our fortunes, Lord.

And the first thought that the psalmist has that moves him to pray this is this.

The Lord has done great things for you.

The Lord has done great things for you.

You see, verse 4, restore our fortunes, Lord, is based on the knowledge of verse 1,

when the Lord restored the fortunes, thinking back to the past,

when God had restored their fortunes before.

And when the author is asking for the psalmist to restore their fortunes,

he's not asking God to make them financially wealthy.

It's not financial fortunes he wants.

What he wants is that, in verse 2, that the Lord would do great things.

We see that phrase at the end of verse 2, the Lord has done great things for them.

Verse 3, the Lord has done great things for us.

That is God restoring our fortunes when God does great things for us.

And the psalmist recognizes that God has done great things for them in the past.

That in a very substantial way that God has brought about healing or restoration.

That life, to a large degree, for a time, has been the way it was meant to be,

living for him in his world, flourishing under his kind rule and reign.

And when God does great things in our lives, sometimes they are in very normal ways.

So you see that in verse 5 and 6, this idea of sowing and reaping or planting and harvesting,

this normal rhythm that we're so accustomed to.

But you realize that these normal things are actually great things when you lack them.

And so the farmer who has been through a time of famine will recognize how great it is when the crops grow again,

when the rains come again, when he enjoys these rhythms that sustain life.

There's lots of secondary reasons why a harvest happens,

but the author of this psalm recognizes that the primary reason that the harvest happens

is because God has done something great.

That's the primary reason that God has restored our fortunes.

And so sometimes these great things that God does happen in normal ways.

Sometimes they happen in more unusual ways.

So some people would see that in this psalm,

that the people have been brought back from exile into the land of Israel,

into their spiritual homeland, back from captivity,

which is reflected in this word Zion in verse 1.

They've been brought back to Zion, back to Jerusalem, back to Israel.

And this is a remarkable great thing that God has done in their life,

that he has restored their fortunes in a remarkable way.

And so the psalmist recognizes that God in the past has done great things.

These great things bring great joy.

In verse 1, we were like those who dreamed.

This is too good to be true.

You have to pinch yourself because it feels like a dream.

What you'd love to happen has happened.

What you never thought possible in this life has come to pass.

It is a joy that is too great for words.

In verse 2, our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

We laugh at jokes,

but it's more rare that we laugh with joy,

where something has happened in our life that is so great,

that God has done something so wonderful,

that all we can do is laugh and shout with joy.

You've seen it in the Olympics over the last little while.

Mondo Duplantis,

if you saw Mondo Duplantis breaking the world record for the pole vault,

and the commentator is talking, talking, talking,

filling the airtime about how wonderful it is and how great it is,

what's Mondo Duplantis doing?

He's just laughing, and his friends and his family are just shouting with joy

at what has happened.

And of course, as God's people,

we recognize that God has done great things

that bring great joy in our lives.

There's a story in the Bible of a husband and wife.

The man is called Abraham,

and the wife is called Sarah.

They're both well into their 90s,

and God promises them that they will have a son.

And Sarah's response to that is to laugh.

And the reason she laughs is because she thinks it's a joke.

Are you joking me, God?

Don't you realize our age, God?

Well, God goes ahead and keeps his promise to them

and does this great thing in their lives.

Sarah has a baby, and after she has the baby,

she laughs again, but this time it's not because it's a joke.

This time it's with joy.

Listen to what she says in chapter 21 of Genesis.

God has made laughter for me.

Everyone who hears will laugh over me.

And she said,

Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?

Yet I have born him a son in his old age.

And so she laughed with joy because God had done great things.

Because God has done great things that gives this joy

that is too great for words.

And it is a joy that is undeniable.

In verse 2, in the second half of the verse,

then it was said among the nations,

The Lord has done great things for them.

The nations around Israel would have had their own so-called gods,

and they would have at least have acknowledged

that Israel had their own God as they sought, Yahweh.

They would have said something like,

well, you have your God, and we have our God,

and that's fine, and we'll respect each other,

but they're separate,

and so that's the way it is meant to be.

And yet even in that confused worldview,

they cannot help but recognize

the joy that God's people have

at the great things that he has done.

The nations say of them,

God has done great things

because they see the joy that they have.

And you know, on more than one occasion,

when somebody has come along to a church gathering,

and I've chatted to them afterwards,

and they will say to me,

well, I don't have the same faith as you,

I don't have the same belief as you,

they're essentially saying,

I don't have the same God as you,

they will often say,

that singing was amazing.

There was such joy there

because they recognize,

even though they disagree,

that God has done great things,

that there's such joy among these people.

One commentator writes about this psalm,

this is John Calvin,

he says,

the writer's intention was to encourage

extravagant rejoicing,

lest forgetfulness should bury

the remembrance of God's grace.

Indulgence in such celebration

was entirely appropriate.

Today, similar joy should characterize

the assembly of the Lord's people

whom he has gathered.

God has done great things for us.

For you.

And that is what moves us

to ask him to do it again.

Restore our fortunes, Lord.

Well, I mentioned that we had baptized

a couple of people in the River Lee in July.

Yatzec and Christian,

both guys, I think in their 40s or 50s,

who had come to faith in recent times.

Yatzec shared with me his story

beforehand,

and I asked him,

was it okay for me to share this?

And he says it was.

Yatzec lost his father and his mother

at a young age.

And this, as you can imagine,

had a profound impact on his life.

Yatzec said this,

I felt completely abandoned

by everyone,

including God.

I felt useless

and unwanted.

No one cared about me

or what I did.

In my heart,

there was only emptiness,

as if I had died

while still alive.

There wasn't a week that went by

without me drinking

to the point of unconsciousness.

I was 16 or 17 years old then.

I never sought a return to God.

About two years ago,

and now we're talking about 2022,

after another downfall,

I lost the will to live.

I had a plan

to swim far out to sea,

to go under,

and never to return.

I don't remember

if it was exactly the next day

or shortly after

I had planned everything.

I met a man

whom I'd known

for a few months.

He had never mentioned God

or anything

about such topics,

and suddenly

he handed me a card

advertising a course

in Cork Baptist Church.

I looked at it

and thought,

is this a joke?

Are you kidding me?

God,

why are you doing this?

Why now?

Where were you all my life?

I didn't want to read it.

I didn't want to acknowledge

that card's existence.

When I started reading it,

what I remember

is not the exact words,

but to me,

it sounded like God saying,

I know you,

and I know what you're planning.

I have something different for you.

Just come back to me.

Since then,

almost a year and a half

have passed.

In the church,

I met many wonderful people,

my new family.

For the first time,

I read the Bible

and realized how little

I knew about Jesus.

The problem is,

we can't control life.

It will always be difficult

on earth.

I never was

and never will be perfect.

Through this journey,

I understood that

even when I want to escape

from life's challenges,

God is reliable

and gives me hope

to endure

until I am with him

in heaven

in perfect peace

and security.

There's less and less

pessimism in me

and more and more hope

and only Jesus Christ

can give freedom.

The same yesterday,

today,

and forever.

And as we baptized Jacek,

I couldn't help

but thinking

he had planned

to swim out to sea,

to go under the waters

and never to come up.

We brought him

under the waters,

symbolizing his death

with Jesus,

but we brought him

back out of the water,

symbolizing his resurrection life

with Jesus.

I couldn't help but thinking

God has done

great things

for Jacek

and he has done

great things

for you.

And as you reflect

on the last week,

it is worth thinking

what are some of the great things

that God has done?

And they may be

just normal things

that we take for granted

the day-in,

day-out rhythms of life

where he sustains us,

sowing and reaping,

planting and harvesting,

sleep and rest,

work,

family,

friendships,

relationships,

creativity.

And you recognize

that there are many

secondary reasons

for us enjoying

these things,

but the primary reason

is that God

has given us

these things.

He has done

great things.

And sometimes

we will have

more unusual moments

where God

has done great things

that are truly remarkable.

Maybe not delivery

from captivity

in Babylon,

but something

like for Jacek

that is

truly

remarkable.

And we need

to hear this,

don't we,

this morning,

that God has done

great things for us.

Because sometimes

we forget.

sometimes

in life

it just gets busy.

But it is good

to remember

that God

has done

great things

and it moves

us to plead

with him

to restore

our fortunes

again.

That's the first

thought.

God has done

great things

and here's the

second one.

God will do

great things

for you.

He's done

it before.

he will

do it

again.

Verse 4,

restore our

fortunes,

Lord,

like streams

in the Negev.

Now the Negev

is a barren,

dry,

desert,

arid,

parched

land

where nothing

seems to be

happening

and there seems

to be no

life.

But then

the rains

come and

the river

beds are

suddenly filled

with torrents

of water

and the

flowers

flourish

as if from

nowhere

and the

plants grow

and the

animals return

and suddenly

what was

barren

and lifeless

and seemingly

dead

is again

thriving

and it

is virtually

overnight

that God

has done

this and

the author

of the

psalm

wants God

to restore

their fortunes

in this

way

quickly.

Do something

quickly,

Lord.

And that

is what

we long

for.

If we

are in

a time

where it

just feels

like our

relationships

or our

work

or our

family life

is just

tough going

like the

Negev,

we want

him to

do something

quickly.

And sometimes

he does

do this

quickly.

Sometimes

he will

restore

our

fortunes

quickly.

I was

chatting

with another

man in

our

congregation.

David is

his name.

He was

happy as

well for

me to

share this.

David told

me that

he had

been living

in Dublin

for a

time.

He was

in a

new city,

new job,

and on

one particular

occasion there

was just

stress on

every area

of his

life.

so he

hadn't

yet

connected

with

people,

so very

little

friendship.

I hadn't

yet connected

with the

church.

He was

in this

new city.

He was

two days

from being

homeless

because of

his landlord

wanting him

out of the

house.

His team

at work

was in

open rebellion

against his

boss,

and so in

every area

of life he

was just

under this

stress,

so stressed

that he

got physically

ill on the

way to

work one

morning.

And David

said to

me that

he loves

sharing this

story because

by one

o'clock that

day everything

had been

changed by

God.

Work,

relationships,

accommodation,

everything had

been changed.

It was like

streams in

the Negev,

and he

acknowledges

that that

was God.

There was

lots of

secondary

reasons,

but the

primary reason

was that

God did

great things.

And you

know,

sometimes God

will do

great things

in our

lives very

quickly,

but sometimes

it's a

longer

process.

In

verse 5,

those who

sow with

tears will

reap with

songs of

joy.

The image

here is of

sowing and

reaping,

planting and

harvesting.

this isn't

a flash

flood that

brings

restored

life.

Planting and

harvesting takes

time and

effort and

patience, and

it is hard

work, it is

intense, and it

can be sad at

times.

Particularly so

if you are a

farmer who has

been through a

year or two or

more of famine,

seed, and

you are going

to plant, and

you are

literally throwing

it away, and

you are thinking

to yourself, this is

all or nothing, I

have nothing left.

If the rains don't

come, if the

harvest doesn't

come, this is it.

And so you

can understand

in verse 5 why

some will sow

with tears, and

then you have to

wait, and

wait, and

wait, not

just days or

weeks, but

months.

And

eventually,

something starts

to happen.

Eventually, there

are little green

shoots,

breaking up

through the

soil, leaves,

crop, harvest,

and it has

felt like an

eternity, but

the remarkable

thing is that if

you've taken a

snapshot of the

field before

and after, the

transformation is

just as dramatic

as streams in

the Negev.

Now, it has

taken time, but

it is just as

dramatic to see

this field now

flourishing.

It has taken

time and

tears, and it

has been tough,

but the promise

is that God

will do great

things, even

when it is

slower than

we would

want, slower

than we would

like, and when

we're waiting, it

can feel like an

eternity as we

cry out to

him.

what's striking

though is that

God does great

things, not

just in our

circumstances, but

he does great

things in us.

It's interesting

that verse 6

seems to repeat

verse 5.

So verse 6,

those who go out

weeping, carrying

seed to sow, will

return with songs

of joy, carrying

sheaves with

them.

Now, at first

glance, that just

seems to be a

repetition of

verse 5, maybe

to underline it,

maybe to amplify

it, but you

notice that the

focus has

shifted in

verse 6.

So in verse

5, the focus

is on the

sowing and

the reaping, and

it's kind of a

secondary thought,

the way in which

the sowing and

the reaping is

happening.

But in verse

6, the focus

is on those

who go out

weeping,

returning with

songs of joy,

and the

sowing and

the reaping

are kind of

the secondary

thought.

And so what

you realize is

that there has

been more than

one transformation

here, that

God has been

doing something

great, not

just in the

land, bringing

a harvest, but

in the one

going out,

sowing with

tears.

And what you

realize is that

yes, God

cares about

crops and

about land

and about

his creation,

but actually

he cares

even more

about the

one weeping.

And so

he promises

us that

he will do

great things

in you,

in his

people,

where those

tears being

sown now

will be

transformed

into joy.

many.

And sometimes

it'll be

quickly, and

sometimes it'll

feel like an

eternity, but

we can be

sure that

he will do

great things

again.

And that

moves us to

plead with

him to do

this.

In that story

that I mentioned

back at the

start of the

man whose

friend named

the boy

after him,

and he

had this

moment of

regret and

sadness that

he hadn't

responded better.

Forty years

pass and the

boy grows up.

He goes by

the name of

Jack, and

the relationship

between the

friend John

and the

son Jack

are not

easy.

So it's

difficult at

times, it's

awkward at

times, there's

misunderstanding at

times, there's

conflict at

times.

And John

regrets his

own words and

thoughts and

actions.

But at the

end of the

book, John

and Jack are

sitting at a

bus stop, and

John asks

Jack, the

friend's son,

if he can

pray a

blessing for

him.

And this is

what he says.

Jack took

his hat off

and set it

on his knee

and closed

his eyes

and lowered

his head,

almost rested

it against

my hand.

And I did

bless him to

the limit of

my powers,

whatever they

are, repeating

the benediction

from numbers,

of course.

The Lord

make his face

to shine

upon thee

and be

gracious

unto thee.

The Lord

lift up his

countenance

upon thee

and give

thee peace.

Nothing

could be

more beautiful

than that

or more

expressive

of my

feelings,

certainly,

or more

sufficient for

that matter.

Then when

he didn't

open his

eyes or

lift up

his head,

I said,

Lord,

bless John

Ames

Boughton,

that's Jack,

this beloved

son and

brother and

husband and

father.

Then he sat

back and

looked at me

as if he

were waking

out of a

dream.

Thank you,

he said.

And what's

remarkable

about that

moment is

not just

that it

has been

40 years

to get

to this

point,

and you

can see

how God

had been

at work

in the

relationship,

but it's

also remarkable

that John

was able

to pray

like this

for Jack,

who had

brought

such

heartache

and such

turmoil,

not only

into his

life,

but into

the lives

of his

own dad

and many

others as

well.

And you

realize that

God had

done great

things in

his own

heart.

And you

know,

it's a good

question for

us to

ponder as

we wait

for God

to do

great

things in

our lives

and in

those around

us.

What's he

doing in

my heart

as I

wait on

that?

What's he

doing in

me?

And

remarkably,

what this

psalm promises

us,

that slowly

but surely

God is

bringing about

transformation,

moving us

from tears

to joy.

God will

do great

things for

you.

And that

moves us

to plead

with him

to do

it.

How can

we be

sure of

this?

How can

we be

sure that

God will

do great

things for

us?

Here's the

reason we

can be

sure of

it.

The

Apostle

Paul writing

to the

church in

Rome says

this,

he who

did not

spare his

own son

but gave

him up

for us

all,

how will

he not

also along

with him

graciously

give us

all things?

There's the

anchor for

the promise

that God

will do

great things

for us.

Paul says

that if

God has

given his

son over

to death

for his

people,

he is not

going to

spare

anything

necessary,

anything

good for

us.

He will

do great

things for

you.

I was

at a

funeral

on

Friday

up in

Dublin,

a man

who had

been part

of the

church

up there,

baptized

when he

was 14

in the

church,

started

playing

music

when he

was 16,

he'd

been

playing

piano

and organ

up until

last month,

he was

80 when

he passed

away.

And

this man

is with

the Lord

now,

Derek

is his

name,

and Derek

would tell

us if he

was here

this morning,

you know,

one day

God will

do

something

great.

Derek

is with

the Lord

in glory

now,

the tears

have been

wiped away,

the pain

and the

suffering

is gone,

and it's

hard for us

to fathom

what that

will be

like,

but we're

assured,

we're assured

that God

will do

great things,

and so we

plead with him

that he

would.

Let's

take a

moment to

ask God

to do

just that.

Heavenly

Father,

we know

that life

in this

world,

we will

never have

it the

way we

would want

it to

be in

a perfect

sense.

Lord,

we recognize

that you

have done

great things

in the

past in

our lives

where you

have brought

substantial

restoration of

our fortunes,

where you

have worked

in ways

that are

sometimes

quite

normal,

it seems,

and sometimes

quite

remarkable.

Lord,

many of

us here

recognize

that and

can testify

to that.

Lord,

help us to

remember that

so that it

would move

us,

Lord,

to call on

you to do

great things

again,

things that

are far

bigger and

greater than

we could

ever ask

or imagine.

Father,

we want to

praise you

that we

have this

promise that

you will do

great things,

and we

know that,

not because

we deserve

it, but

because this

is what Jesus

has assured

us of,

that in him

being given

over to

death,

how will you

not freely

give us all

things?

God,

we long

for you to

do great

things again,

and Lord,

we draw to

mind areas

of our life

where we

feel that

need deeply,

and we

commit these

relationships

and friendships

and other

areas to

you, and

we ask that

you would

do great

things.

And Father,

we praise

you that

there is

coming a

day

when you

will make

all things

new, and

Lord, that

we believe

it, we

can hardly

get our

heads around

it.

But Father,

we look

forward to

that day,

in Jesus'

name,

amen.

We're

going to

sing to

respond to

something of

what we've

been thinking

about, just

reflecting on

God's

goodness, his

faithfulness, and

so on, and

so let's

stand and

sing praise

to God

now.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It's

been

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