Psalm 126 is a community lament. It is a heartfelt lament where the people of God cry out together in their anguish, acknowledging their ache for God to intervene in their broken and heart-wrenching circumstances. and do something about their broken and heart-wrenching circumstances.

As the psalmist makes his way up toward Jerusalem, he remembers a time when God had already begun to restore His people’s fortunes. God had done great things for them. Yet even as they remember, they also look around and see the ruins still standing. The walls remain broken, the city still bears scars. The restoration had begun, but it was not yet complete.

This tension feels familiar to many of us. We, too, can recall moments when God has shown up powerfully in our lives. Those were times of healing, provision, and grace. We have stories to tell of His faithfulness to our families, our community, and ourselves. Yet, we also face the now. The now where the struggles that seem unending, the losses that still ache, the prayers that remain unanswered. The past feels like a distant memory, and the way forward looks uncertain, even overwhelming.

Psalm 126 invites us to hold both realities together. The tensions of the joy of what God has done and the sorrow for what is not yet restored. It reminds us of the “already but not yet” nature of our faith. In Christ, we have already been saved, and redeemed, from sin and death through His cross and resurrection. Yet we still live in a world that is broken, where we wrestle with sin, pain, and loss. We are still waiting for the fullness of God’s redemption to come.

It is in times like these that we must remember our God has shown up again and again. God’s love is greater than we ever known or imagine. God is still at work, and always will be. He is the One who brings streams into the desert of the Negev, a land that should have no water. He is the One who moves the heart of kings to give the command for a people to return to their homeland. He takes a tiny seed and multiplies it into food for many.

When we look at the desolate places in our lives—relationships that seem too broken to mend, griefs that feel too deep to heal, dreams that seem too far gone—we are invited to look up. To remember who God is. To trust that He can and will complete what He has begun.

So today, let us choose not to fix our eyes on what we lack, but on the God who can do all things. Let us rejoice in His past faithfulness, even as we ask Him to bring full restoration in His perfect time.

Prayer:

Dear God, thank you for the great things you have done. Help me to remember your past faithfulness, and to trust You for what You will yet do. Teach me to wait with hope. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.