May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. (Psalm 126:5)
In the season of Advent, as we anticipate the birth of the Messiah, Psalm 126 reminds us that God brought the people of Israel through troubling times on many occasions. That serves to help us find confidence and hope in our prayers for a better future.
In my work as a hospital chaplain, I regularly meet patients and families dealing with unexpected illnesses and traumatic events. It is often hard to know what to say to help them gain a sense of stability and hopefulness in such situations. Memories of how God restored and carried God’s people through difficult times help provide words that offer hope.
Poet Silvia Purdie writes of Verse 5:
Remember
feeling sad?
Remember
tears running down your face –
God
was with you then.
Your pain
planted seeds and your tears watered them.
The seeds
grew in the tender mercy of God,
growing
fruit of wisdom,
fruit of kindness.
Sowing itself is an act of hope and expectation. Sowers carry their future in their own hands. But, then the sower’s hope is taken out of his/her hands and the future is turned over to God – the one who grants rain and warmth for the seeds to grow.
During sad times, we may feel that the soil around us is barren and unreceptive. But sowing through our tears becomes our act of hope, depending on God’s restorative power to provide a harvest rich with kindness and wisdom, especially from people sent our way through God’s Spirit. And, God sends us Jesus, the one who came to help us reap God’s blessings with shouts of joy.
Merciful God, in times of sadness and despair, help us find the courage to plant new seeds of hope. Give us strength to turn our hopes over to you so they can be nurtured and grow into restored life. Amen.
Paulette is a
pastor in the Northeast PA Synod, who serves as an associate chaplain for St.
Luke’s Hospital and helps with various projects for Lutheran Congregational
Services/Lutheran Disaster Response.
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