Sowing Tears, Reaping Joy

I read Psalm 126 for my devotional one morning and verse 5 stood out to me. It reads, "Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy."

A simple verse but vast in meaning.

It reminds me of other passages such as Lamentations 3:21-23 and Romans 8:18 where the respective authors understood their current plight yet also grasped at the hope and truth that a better future awaits them. But why with such confidence? Why with such certainty?

The psalmist, along with Jeremiah and Paul, recognized the character and nature of God. They knew that they could confide in a God who kept His promises. Visible promises. Tangible promises. Paul understood that God was His Father and thus cries out to Him "Abba" as a distressed child would in verse 15. Jeremiah knew that God was faithful and merciful even amidst a disobedient people because He saw God's protection over Him even as the walls of Jerusalem toppled over one another (v.55-66).

Now here, the psalmist paints a picture of joy after Babylon's 70-year rule over them comes to an end. They are now able to return to Jerusalem. And though the promise that God would not be angry with them forever seemed dream-like to them (v. 1), they now return home.

I can't tell how many times I've seen this verse realized in my life to the point that I reverted back to weeping but out of joy. It produces hope for the believer in current distress knowing that the labor or afflictions they endure are not in vain.

And yet, it disturbs me how often I see myself forgetting this truth, anxiously awaiting the future as if it were an inevitable train headed my way. I could dwell on my current state and grieve the fact that I am where I am.

But friends, this is not to be the case.

The Christian walk is not easy; it never was supposed to be. But we must hold onto God's promises if we are to reap joy. We cannot give up. We cannot remain in our gloom. We must resist the urge to give up and give into the thing that swells our eyes.

Look above. Look unto Jesus and see, truly see, what He is capable of doing in your context. Hebrews 1 reads, "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." This is to say, if Jesus could do it, that is, overlook the shame and the pain for His great reward and to be an example for us, so we can endure our sorrows and reap joy.

Jesus is faithful and just, even at the moment when the tears are of our own doing.

And here I'd like to present a hard truth. We are sinners. We miss the mark. And for this reason the Jewish nation wept for 70 years. Their pain wasn't without reason. They went against their God and broke their covenant with Him. Thus, God did exactly what He said He would do given the circumstances. And may I suggest to you brother, perhaps you are the cause of your own weeping just like Israel was. This is an unpopular opinion, but it is necessary to recognize whether we are at fault. Sometimes we are innocent bystanders but often, we bear some culpability.

l, too, have seen this reality in my life. I am mostly at fault for my grievances. I am usually responsible for ending up in a hole that I had dug up. I ask if God listens but I myself don't lift up my pleas and petitions to Him, so how could He?

Nevertheless, God is compassionate, and He would rather His people relish in joy than suffer in their own sin. So God heard their cry of repentance and He allowed them to return, though He didn't have to. And they rejoiced.

But the better news is that Jesus pictures this reality all the more clearer in the New Testament. Jesus is just and faithful to wipe away our tears. Provided we confess our sins, He forgives (1 John 1:9). And when He forgives, it is ever-encompassing and enduring. We don't need to return to Jerusalem to praise God nor do we have to wait 70 years. We can reap joy now due to Jesus Christ our Rock and Redeemer. And we can be confident of this because He has kept His promises before. We can have certainty because His death on the cross was evidence that He and able and willing to forgive, no matter the circumstance.

When I get it through my thick skull that I am the culprit of my sin and I repent, a shift happens. The weight over my shoulders slowly rises and the pressure in my chest subsides. God is the provider of this relief. I may still be in the pit, but I now see a light and an exit. The train was never there, but Jesus always was. And slowly the tears I've wept, God has miraculously used them to water a tiny plant that sprouts out the ground. And that plant produces joy.

Friend, don't give up. Do not give in. Weep and repent. Rest in the assurance that Jesus is just and faithful. And persevere, for though today you may sow tears, tomorrow you shall reap joy.

Follow Us on Social Media!