Tears of Sadness Turned Into Joy

O. T. #1382  "Tears of Sadness Turned Into Joy"
Feb. 6, 2019
Psalm 125
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  Psalm 125:5

LET IT GLOW

Step 7: The Lord gives joy.

Israel had spent 70 years in Babylonian captivity. Most of the Jews had turned away from God, but a remnant remained faithful, such as Daniel and his 3 friends. Jerusalem and the Temple's destruction had been predicted by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Now the Jews were sent back home by King Cyrus, to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. They sang this song of an unknown author.

Instead of sorrow, the Jews were experiencing:

• Deliverance by God which had only been a dream for so many years. (verse 1)
• Restoration of fortunes; (verses 1 and 4)
• Laughter and singing with joy; (verse 2)
• Great things the LORD had done for them; (verse 3)
• Tears sown were turned into shouts of joy; (verse 5)
• Armloads of blessings, laughing, returning home after leaving home with heavy hearts and tears. (verse 6)

Did you count the number of times the Lord's name was mentioned in this chapter? I counted four.
god did it, folks. He delivered the Jews from captivity when it was time, in  His timing and in His way. Their dreams were turned into reality. Laughter filled their mouths and joy filled their hearts. They were carrying armloads of blessings-materials needed to rebuild everything in Jerusalem, which the king sent with them.

Now, what does this lesson say to you and me? God will turn our sorrow into singing, our tears into joy.

I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

Are you in a deep valley, whether a valley of sorrow or despair, be confident that God is with you and will act. He will one day turn your tears of sadness into tears of joy.

Oh how I needed this verse today. Our family is in a valley, going through a tough valley, but my God is going to turn my tears of sadness into tears of joy, one day. It may take a while for His will to be done, but it will be done. I have faith that He is working things out. And when He does, you will hear my shouts of joy, all the way to your house. Meanwhile, I continue thank my Heavenly Father for what He is going to do and give Him praise in the valley.
In the meantime, let us keep growing in God's grace and in faith in Him.

LET IT GROW

So until that day when joy comes, let me share a little bit of joy and laughter that God has sent my way while I wait.
It was one cold Sunday night when we returned home from a church service that we saw him at our truck door. I was a little afraid to open my door and go to the house. But my husband got out and protected me as we walked in the dark. Then our visitor started jumping on me, showing he was friendly. Have you guessed what it was? Someone had dropped off a dog. Now, this dog is sort of still in a puppy stage. He is part hound dog, but with short ears and short legs. That is what makes me laugh, seeing him so short. He is the happiest dog I have ever seen. He loves running around the yard.

Finally, I had to feed him and name him. One problem the dog had was his habit of chasing cars down the dirt road. So guess what I named him-Chase. (He didn't seem like a Joy.) He is getting better at not chasing them, since I go outside and call him back, yet, he does chase us. Well, this funny looking dog has captured my heart. (One bad thing is he chases my cats, who barely come out from under the house to eat.)

Chase has lightened my load while I am waiting on God to answer my prayers. We play kick ball, run around the yard, and share love.

LET IT GO and Let God Handle It