Psalm Meditation 561
Sunday
, 2011

Psalm 126
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.
(NRSV)

Every now and again something more wonderful than we can imagine happens to us. It feels as if it were a dream and one of the fears of some of us is that we will wake up and find that none of this wonderfulness has really happened. The psalmist celebrates one of those moments here. The initial disbelief gives way to laughter and shouts of joy. These are amazing moments that are not easy to describe to someone who has not had a similar experience. We know it when we see and we enjoy it when we experience it, we can’t share it with anyone who did not experience that particular event.

At our best we will give God some of the credit for these moments. Even if it were accomplished by virtue of our own particular set of gifts and talents we owe God a moment of gratitude for those gifts. From the standpoint of a relationship with God we want to share these dreamlike moments as we would want to share them with any other friend, especially one who is as close to us as God can be.

Since not all fortunes are material, (the most important ones seem not to be material) God can and does restore our fortunes in ways that may not seem that impressive to folks who are not in the midst of a particular event. Something that seems as simple as a renewed sense of security after a trauma or tragedy can seem like a restored fortune. To be able to rebuild a sense of home, family and place after surviving an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, tornado, fire, break-in or any number of other events that keep us on edge is a gift of resilience which is a gift of God. At our best, we may begin the process with weeping but we come through it with a sense of grace and joy.

March 14, 2011