Excerpt of Shannon's May 27th sermon. It is from a series about our journey toward God from the Psalms of Ascent.This journey requires a lot of faith. A lot trust that where he is leading is better than where we are and better than anywhere else we could go. And that getting there will be worth all the sacrifice that journey demands.
Trust is essential. Trust is like the gas in the car. There is no journey without it.
So just as it is important to gas up for a long journey, it is important to build into our faith. To strengthen our trust in the Lord. To fuel us for our long journey.
This is the intention behind retelling all those stories of faith we find throughout the Bible. This is also a major purpose behind the psalms of ascent. While they journeyed toward God, they would sing songs like this to fuel their faith, to keep them going.
Psalm 126
When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negev.
Those who sow in tears
will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with him.
There is something in the structure here that I don’t want us to miss. Verse 2: Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Verse 3: The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Verse 5: Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
Past. Present. Future. The Lord has delivered joy. The Lord is delivering joy. The Lord will deliver joy.
Let’s start with the past. When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
I love the language. The picture is of people being shocked and overwhelmed with the good fortune God has delivered. Have you ever been so surprised by joy that it almost seemed like a dream? It seemed like it was too good to be true. Have you ever been so blessed that you couldn’t help but laugh and sing?
Sometimes the faith to plow forward on the journey comes remembering the joys he delivered in the past.
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1 comment:
The Israelites were very good at reflecting upon the past in an effort to focus and frame the present and future. I see in my life and in that of the church I serve that many get stuck focusing only on 1 time period. Some long for the good old days and disregard change and the future. Others become so ingrained in the present and the problems of the day that there is no time for anything else. And finally others care only about where they are going (usually reacting to those "stuck in the past")with no regard for the past.
Your point about using the past as the starting point to build trust in God's faithfulness before cannot be given enough stress.
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