When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.
Psalm 126:1-3 (NKJV)
David wrote of the time when the captives were able to return to their homeland, to Zion, the mountain where the Lord made His dwelling. He wrote of the pure joy of returning home, to the place where God made His dwelling in the midst of His people; the people were filled with laughter, so great was their happiness. The surrounding nations could see what God had done for them, for indeed, God had done great things for His people.
Have you ever been taken into captivity spiritually? Have you ever felt as though you have been taken far from the place where God dwells in the midst of His people? I’ve had those times, too. Maybe you’re in such a place right now…
For most of us, we don’t come into such a predicament because we were carried off by a foreign army, more likely it was by a series of choices; it might even have taken place because of unwise choices made by other people… and there we are, out in the wilderness alone.
Yet, the good news is that we don’t have to stay in captivity; we can go home again. For the Israelites, going home was a tough thing to do involving an arduous journey, and that might be the case for some of us as well, but God saw them through their trials, and will see us through ours.
There is nothing better in this life than to be in the place where God dwells in the midst of His people; do we really want to stay away for another day?
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
This is one of my favorite Psalms.
Isn’t this part of the Psalm I just read on your site also? Great.
I find I am writing about myself without even realising it a lot of the time. He pings a thought and draws me into the post. And then somewhere along the way I hear Him speaking to me through my own words on the keyboard. And I have an answer to something I never even knew was a question.
I sense something similar here. if so – I am so very, very glad.
This one is more autobiographical for me
I believe Dallas Willard wrote about this in one of his books, how God speaks to us individually through ourselves! So very, very cool.
Yes it is 🙂
Arduous is a perfect word for the journey, sometimes not anyone’s fault at all, just a tough slog, whether mentally, emotionally, a time time where God in His grace is working something out of me, healing, but first the sharp scalpel of the surgeon.
It can be rough at times, but well worth it 🙂
Wow, I just got the chance to read this and it really spoke to me this morning. I was reflecting on the choices I’ve made in the past that caused me to drift away from “home,” both literally and spirituality speaking. I love the portion where you wrote, “We don’t have to stay in captivity. We can go home again.” I’m so grateful for His grace that leads us ultimately back to Him where we find our true “home” and rest. The song “Home” by Daughtry popped into my head when I read this, and I think parts of it, though presumably written as a song to a wife/significant other, can apply to our relationship with God as well and the decision to return “home” during a wilderness experience. The chorus begins with, “I’m going home, to the place where I belong, where your love has always been enough for me.” Thank you for your post, gave me a lot to reflect on this morning.
Thank you for that; I really appreciate your comments!