It seemed like a dream
Psalm 126
A Song of Ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
“When the Lord” – not when the great leader, not when the team that developed the plan, not when the people all working together. No, “when the Lord”. The restoration of the brokenness of our world and of our lives, the renewal of creation and of our communities will be brought about by God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Such a restoration is beyond human imagination, beyond what human beings believe is possible – it was like a dream, it was so amazing that laughter was the only possibility. Even the people from around who saw what happened realized that the restoration, the renewal, was not brought about by Zion’s (vs. 1) ability but were the actions of God and God alone.
Then the psalm turns in vs. 4, and it becomes clear that vs. 1-3 are about a past restoration. In the present moment the singers of the psalm are again dry like a dried-out river, again are weeping with despair over the state of things, are again in need of God’s action. No human planning, no thinking better, no being better trained, none of that will turn the situation – only God’s action can address the sorrow, the tears, the despair.
As every farmer knows, one can cultivate and fertilize, plant and watch – but ultimately it is about the actions of God – sending rain and heat, protecting the crop and bringing it to maturity. The farmer, even a really good farmer, has no ability to make the crop grow. So each year when the crop is harvested, it is in wonder and laughter that God has again acted. The same is true of our lives, of the life of the church, of the life of our communities.
The cry is – “O Lord, restore us again. Only in you is restoration possible.”
PRAYER:
O Lord God, our hope is in you, our restoration is in you – only you can bring life out of death, hope out of despair, and perseverance out of a faint heart. Restore us again, O Lord, restore us again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.