Psalm Meditation 908
Proper 27
November12, 2017

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)

There is something sad about a creek bed that has nothing but a small stream in it when it obviously has been wider and deeper in the recent past. The lack of water signals that something has changed for the worse in the area. In some cases the presence or lack of water is seasonal, in others it is a sign of a more lasting change. The Negeb is a desert area whose pools and streams get filled and connected during heavy rains. What is usually dry fills with water, to the relief of the people, plants, and animals who depend on the water that is available.

The nation may be coming out of a time of oppression of some kind. The psalmist asks that God restore the fortunes of the nation in the way the desert is restored by water. It may be a brief respite from the dry conditions, however it is sufficient to sustain life until the next time. Though they were conquered and oppressed as they planted seeds to feed their oppressors, they are now free and they harvest their crop for their own sustenance and enjoyment. What was a dry time has turned to a time of abundance.

When we go through dry and dusty times we feel as if they will last forever. Some last longer than others and some people and areas have deeper reserves to weather those times. The psalmist calls us to rejoice when those times of abundance return because they remind us that God is the one who brings us abundance in the world and in our lives.

November 6, 2017
LCM