You Shall Laugh

Daily Devotional: Day 28

“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5, KJV)

Our life is governed by the biblical law of sowing and reaping. Today’s Scripture from Psalm 126 is a song of thanksgiving to God for restoring the fortunes of Israel and bringing them back from captivity. Captivity isn’t fun, and Israel can attest to that. The Psalmist describes Israel’s experience of captivity in terms of the analogy of sowing and reaping. Sowing isn’t as exciting as harvesting. Seventy years is a long time to be in exile. During this period, Israel felt humiliated and brought low. But God didn’t forget them. He sent this prophets among them to encourage them and remind them of God’s promises of restoration. Eventually, God brought them home to exuberant joy.

You, too, may have your own story of captivity. Most likely, your story isn’t about a physical captivity, but this doesn’t make it insignificant. Your Father cares about every detail in your life. You may be going through a period of seemingly never-ending sowing. You’ve been expecting a season of harvest, to reap the fruit of your labor, and nothing seems to happen. Perhaps you feel like you’ve planted much but have reaped little. Your life, perhaps, has been a cycle of bad news after bad news. Yet, you’ve found a reason to keep sowing, hoping that one of the many seeds would sprout and bring joy to your heart. At times you feel like you’ve toiled in vain. Or, you feel that God has forgotten about you. I don’t know your specific story, but if this describes you or someone you know, the Father has a message of encouragement for you today. Your toil has not gone unnoticed. You’ve sown in tears, but you shall reap with joy and your mouth shall be filled with laughter. Your harvest time may take a while, but it shall surely come. Sow faithfully. Put not your trust in man. And don’t give up on your precious seed. You shall laugh very soon. Daddy won’t fail you.

Confess:

I know my Father. I know him in whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him. My Father, who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food shall multiply the seed I’ve sown and increase the harvest of my righteousness. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. (Enjoy this song by Kirk Franklin)

For further study: Isaiah 55:1-13