I do know that today is actually the first Sunday in Advent, but I wanted to cap off Thanksgiving with one of my favorite “Thanksgiving” sermons from Keller. We’ll begin Advent next week with 4 devotionals from Tim and Kathy Keller. Short, but richer than pecan pie.
Psalm 126 is rich, but pregnant, and I didn’t really understand it before listening to Keller. At first glance, you think they are joyful, but they are actually in a time of great sorrow. They talk to their souls by remembering times when God filled their mouths with laughter, and they ask Him to do it again. I do realize this is a lot for a busy week, but I want you to be as blessed as I have been by this.
My husband was blessed with a cheerful spirit, but when he came to Christ, it overflowed whenever the Lord amazed him, which was often. I’ll bet you can figure out who Steve is in this photo!
I came to Christ before Steve did. A Jewish couple adopted him, and Jesus was all new to him. He received Christ, but it was more in his head, until he got close to Sharon’s father-in-law, Pastor Don Leach. Everything fell to his heart, and I heard the two of them laughing all the time. Steve, for the joy of knowing Christ truly, and Don, for the joy of being an instrument in helping this young doctor. There were so many times when God amazed us, but I often look back to my husband’s first love time, and also my own first love time, and pray, “Father, renew the joy of my salvation.” When Steve did his residency, we were both so excited about the Lord that it was contagious, and we saw so many doctors and their wives coming to Christ, one after another, like dominoes. What a time of astonishing joy that was, filling our mouths with laughter. I am praying even now, in the harder soil of Northern Wisconsin, when it can be discouraging, “Lord, please do it again!” I’m praying for it to happen in the Milwaukee prison where I am ministering too. I’m praying for it to happen where you live! Click below for audio of sermon — listen and also read the transcript, together or separately. I’ll post the transcript in sections.
https://gospelinlife.com/sermon/a-christians-weeping/
Sunday:
- How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
- Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
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- B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time.
- 4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6?
Tuesday: The Map of the Christian Life
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We have a very short but complete Psalm we’re going to be looking at tonight. The teaching is going to be based on it. It’s Psalm 126. That’s the whole thing. It doesn’t look like much, but it is. (He then reads Psalm 126)
This little psalm has always helped me. It has never filled my soul with glory. It has always made me quiet and reflective and peaceful. I think probably the sermon this produces will not be a high and glorious sermon, but a quiet and reflective and peaceful one. I hope the same thing will happen in you. What this is so good at, what this has helped me with so much, is … I think in some ways, Psalm 126 is a perfect emotional map for a person who believes in God. It’s a picture, an overview, of the emotional life that the life of faith brings. The setting doesn’t matter. You read this and you say, “When did this happen? What is going on?” We really don’t know. Plenty of people have said, “Oh, verse 1, ‘When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like ones who dreamed, our mouths were filled with laughter …’ ” and they say, “Ah, that must be in the Old Testament. That’s the time in which the exiles, the Jews who had been exiled in Babylon came back.” It doesn’t say that. We don’t really know. There were a number of places where God gave some kind of great military victory to the Jews when they were overwhelmed and it looked like everything was lost. There could be a number of places. The important thing, therefore, is really not the setting. In some ways, we’re glad. We don’t know when it was. It doesn’t say when it was, and it really doesn’t matter. The point is, here’s a group of people who are remembering a time of deliverance. See, in verses 1, 2, and 3, they were remembering a time of incredible joy. But they are experiencing a time of weeping and sorrow. The question for us, then, is not “When did this happen?” and so on. The issue is, do we handle our times of weeping, do we understand our times of weeping and sorrow, the way they did? Especially because of this great verse: “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him” and verse 5: “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” Here’s the question that this psalm raises and that we’re going to try to address. It’s a lot like a book Kathy and I have always loved. We’ve never really read it, but we love the title. I have it, and I got it out to look at it and say, “I really ought to read this thing.” But the title is Don’t Waste Your Sorrows. You see, it’s based very much on a theme in the Bible that we’re going to bring out, but it’s just so perfectly put in verse 5. What are you doing with your tears? What are you doing with your sorrows? They need to be sown. They need to be invested. They need to be planted, in a sense, or they need to water. See, the beauty of this is tears are water. Water brings life, and water can be channeled and used and deployed in such a way that it brings up fruit and grass and beautiful things. Are you wasting your tears? Are you investing them? Are you using them? How are you crying? You’re going to weep. In this world, you will weep. You will weep. But how are you weeping? That’s the question. That’s several versions of the question, but that’s the essential question.
Now as we look at the passage, we look at the psalm, and we ask ourselves, “What does this tell us about weeping? What does this tell us about how we’re supposed to address our griefs and our sorrows and so on?” I would say it tells us three things. Now I can put these three things in action-step form.
If I were to do that, I would say it tells us to:
- expect weeping (expect tears),
- secondly to expect new kinds of tears,
- and then finally it’ll say sow your tears.But I’m going to put it in terms of three principles, and if I have the presence of mind I may come back and put it back in the form of action steps. But let me say there are three principles.
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why?
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do? What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?”
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls? What does it mean to sow them?
Wednesday: The Life of Faith is Both Rejoicing and Weeping
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Let’s look at the first principle. The first thing it teaches us … In some ways it’s the most obvious and the simplest, but we had better not rush by it. Let’s take a minute or two on it. The first thing we’re told here is that the life of faith is a life of both rejoicing and weeping. This may be obvious, but let’s stay here for a second. The life of faith is a life of both rejoicing and weeping. What does the psalm tell us? The psalm tells us that these people had experienced a tremendous act of deliverance of God. The nations had heard about it. That’s why we’re a little curious; we wish we knew what it was. God had so shown up, God had so come down, God had so (the way the Bible says) bared his holy arm, he had shown forth his power and his love for his people that all the nations, everyone said, “Boy, their god is God.” Remember what Yul Brynner said? You know, Yul Brynner … Pharaoh … The Ten Commandments? You know? Remember that? “His god is God.” And then fade out … Mount Sinai? Remember that? Surely you remember that. But you know, that’s what the nations were doing. That’s what the nations were saying. They were saying, “This god is God.” So, whatever it was that they experienced must have been great. Yet, as great as it is, they’re in trouble again. See, verses 1–3 is remembering something, and verses 4–6 experiencing the present. Verses 1–3 is something in the past, but now verse 4 is where he says, “Restore our fortunes.” Now what’s the obvious? No matter how much God does for you in this life, it won’t get rid of sorrow. No matter how much he has done for you, he doesn’t give you unbroken joy. No matter how much you have laughed in the Lord, you will weep. You will weep. In some ways, as a matter of fact …
Do you remember I mentioned in the very beginning, this is almost like a perfect map of the emotional life of a Christian, the emotional life of a believer? Because look, verses 1–3 are all about joy, and verses 4–6 are all about sorrow. In a certain sense, it’s telling you if you are a believer, you’re going to have, like everybody else, joy and sorrow. You’re not going to have lots and lots and lots of joy, and just a little teeny bit of sorrow any more. No, that’s not the way it works. You’re going to have joy and sorrow. You’re going to have a very even-handed life. But what I really love about it is joy reigns in verses 1–3, right? And in verses 4–6 it’s all about tears, and about weeping and about the fact that we need our fortunes restored. Yet in the end, joy has the final word. In other words, if you want to see the emotional map, quantitatively, the believer has equal weeping and rejoicing. But qualitatively, even through the weeping, in the end joy has the final word in your life. If you’re a new Christian, I want you to know your future.
Quantitatively, you’ll have as much joy as weeping, as much weeping as joy. Qualitatively, there will be a note of joy that can never be put out, a kind of pilot flame. Even when the burner is off, look down in there. It’s still burning, so that when the gas does show up, there’s a flame again. Look down in your heart. You’re a Christian. Even in times of weeping, there’s a pilot light of joy. In the end, the joy is always the final note. But it doesn’t mean now that you’re a Christian, now that you’re a believer, now it’s joy all the time. No.
The first principle is the life of faith is a life of both rejoicing and weeping. Why? Because we follow one who was both a rejoicer and a weeper. We follow one who was both a mourner and a singer. We follow one who, when he decided to begin his ministry, his first miraculous sign, to tell us who he was, was to create a pile of great wine to make a good party better. Now when you open a campaign, you’re showing people who you really are. You know, recently one of the mayoral candidates, when she opened her campaign, made sure instead of being in a lecture hall or something she was out on a street in the Lower East Side. Why? This is perfectly right and very good. She knew that in her first speech, where she was and what she said … She wanted to make sure people saw the essence of what she was about. Great! Fine. Excellent. Jesus is no different. He first comes out, and in his very first sign he’s going to show us who he is and what he’s about. What does he do? He doesn’t raise the dead. He doesn’t walk on water. He doesn’t heal the sick. He throws a party. John 2, the wedding feast at Cana. Turning water into wine. He throws a party. What does that mean? He is saying, “I come to bring festival joy.” And yet … Get out a concordance sometime and look up words like weeping, groaning, sighing, moved with pity. There’s so much in the New Testament that describes Jesus’ emotional life like that. Here’s the one who is the great exalter, he’s the great singer, the sweet singer; he’s the one who throws a party to show you what he’s really about. Yet you read through his life, and he’s a man of sorrows, he’s acquainted with grief, and his own life is a mixture of this great joy and this tremendous sorrow. It tells us in Hebrews 12. Why did he go through the sorrow? For the sake of the joy that was set before him, he went to the cross. There’s this same mixture. So that’s the first thing.
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8. What stands out to you and why?
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126:2?
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper?
Thursday: The Life of Faith is Greater Rejoicing and Weeping
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Now the next principle, the second principle, is not as obvious. It’s a little more surprising. A life of faith is a life of greater rejoicing and greater weeping than before. This passage indicates, and the Bible teaches, the life of faith is a life of higher joy and deeper sorrow than you had before. Let me put it in a nutshell. When you become a Christian, you do not become a happier person than you were before. You are that, but more than that. You become both happier and sadder than you were before. The life of faith is a life of greater rejoicing and weeping. For example, look right in the passage. Right here in the passage, you can see one of the reasons they’re weeping so badly in verses 4–6 is because of what he’s done before. I mean, in this one instance you can see it. What if they were cynical? What if they really didn’t know there was a God? What if they thought life is hard, you know? What if they just believed that basically life stinks. Now things have happened … What would you do? You wouldn’t be weeping; you’d say, “Suck it up. This is life. Don’t cry over spilt milk.” But they know. It’s the experience of salvation that makes their weeping a lot greater. If you read the Scripture, you will see over and over, the Bible says that when you become a Christian you don’t only become happier but also sadder, and pretty much at the same time. That’s how you know the difference between your emotional life before and after belief, before and after conversion.
Let me leave the joy part behind. We should know that. That’s obvious. If you are a Christian, when you become a Christian, you now know something you didn’t know before: God is your God, and God is in your life, and God loves you, and God accepts you, and all that. See, that’s obvious. But you’re saying, “Now wait a minute. What do you mean by saying the gospel and faith actually make you sadder?” In the Old Testament and the New Testament there’s an extremely interesting theme. It comes up several times. Let me just quote you one place where it shows up. In Ezekiel 11:19, God says, “… I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a new heart of flesh.” He says that also in Ezekiel 36. Paul talks about it. He talks about the fact that when the Spirit comes in, it writes the law of God not on the stone but on the tablets of your heart. It takes away your heart of stone and turns it into a heart of flesh. Now what does that mean? It means a lot, but here’s one of the things it means. It means salvation does not just make your heart a happier heart (it does, but that’s not all). Salvation will make your heart more of a heart. It will not just make it feel happier; it will make it feel. It will make it feel more deeply. It will make you feel, and able to feel. It melts your heart. It melts your heart from the ice. It melts your heart from the stone. It makes you sensitive. It makes your heart more of a heart. It’s not a heart of stone. The heart before you experience the love of God compared to the heart after, that’s the idea … Compared to the heart after, your heart before was stony. It was less feeling. It was more callous. It was filled with defense mechanisms. It was filled with all sorts of ways in which you kept out things that should make and did make the only perfect human heart in the history of the world weep. Why was Jesus always weeping? Why do you think he was always crying? Because he was perfect. Because he was more loving than us. Because he was more compassionate than us. Because he was more sensitive to God’s heart than us. Because he had higher aspirations for people than we do. And the more perfect you get, the more you’re going to weep. It’s only natural. Do you see that? For example, before you were a Christian, you had moral standards. Of course you did. It may be almost the same moral standards. Many people, when they become Christians, don’t change their moral standards one bit. In fact, in many cases (and here I’m not making a joke), many Christians … When you become a Christian, you may not be any better at those moral standards than you were before at all. You might not even be as good. There’s sort of a lack of franticness in some ways. You may not be quite as good, all right? But here’s the difference. Before, when you blew it, when you broke a law, when you told a lie, when you did something like that, you would kick yourself, you’d be mad at yourself, because you broke a rule. After you become a Christian, if you understand the gospel, if you understand now that your relationship with God is not “I’m the subject; he’s the king only,” or “I’m the employee; he’s the boss,” but “I’m the child, and he’s the Father, and through my great brother Jesus Christ, at infinite cost, he has brought me into his family, and he loves me with an everlasting love, and he sent his son, and went at incredible cost to make me holy,” now when you lie, you haven’t just broken a rule; you’ve broken a heart. You’ve broken the heart. You’re going to weep. You’re not just going to kick yourself. Your heart is melted now.
Or when you look at people around you, before you were a Christian, you had no idea really what people could be. You had no idea what joy they could experience. You had no idea.
Because now you’ve experienced it, you’ll never look at people again the same way. You know what they could be. You know when you see hurting people, what they could be experiencing. So, like Jesus, you’ll be weeping over them in ways you weren’t before. Cornelius Plantinga wrote a really good book on sin. The name of the book is Sin and the subtitle of the book is Not the Way it’s Supposed to Be. Maybe you think that’s pretty obvious, but you know when you become a Christian, instead of looking around and saying, “That’s life. You know, that’s people. That’s the way things are.” Do you know what that is? That’s a way of hardening your heart so you don’t care. But now you know what God sees, and what God wants. You know what people could be, and you know what the world should be. You’re going to weep. So, the second principle, and it’s a very, very important principle, is that not only is the life of faith a life of both rejoicing and of sorrow, of tears, it’s a life of greater rejoicing and it’s a life of greater tears. Do you have a heart like that? Think about that. Is that happening to you? Do you weep more? By the way, guys in particular, we’re taught not to weep. How long have you been a Christian? Do you weep more? That’s one good sign that you’re really a Christian. Have you gotten over the defense mechanisms? Have you gotten over the hardness of heart? Now I’m not trying to leave women out here, but I’m just saying guys in particular, it’s very noticeable. In some ways, I would say women, when you become a Christian, you weep new kinds of tears. It’s not self-pity tears. It’s tears of repentance, tears of aspirations for people, tears of service, all the tears of Jesus. But for us guys, in some cases, we’re going to start weeping for the first time, period. It’s a good sign. Are you weeping? Is there more sorrow? That’s the second principle.
But the third principle is the weirdest of all. And it’s here. In fact, in some ways it may be the only place in the Old Testament that it is here. It points to the new. The first principle we said was the life of faith is a life of both rejoicing and weeping. And secondly, we said, the life of faith is a life of greater rejoicing and greater weeping.
11. What stands out to you and why?
12. How does the Ezekiel passage relate to us being both sadder and happier? Do you agree? If so, why or why not?
13. What difference is there between the way the atheist looks at sorrow and the believer?
Friday: We Have A Life of Interdependent Rejoicing and Weeping
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The life of faith is a life of interdependent rejoicing and weeping
In other words, the joy produces the tears, and the tears produce the joy. Now the reason this is so important, Derek Kidner wrote a commentary on Psalms that I have used in my personal life for 20 years. I bought it 20 years ago. It’s two little commentaries, two volumes … the Tyndale Commentaries. Whatever else I’m studying, I’m always reading the Psalms as part of my personal Bible reading and devotional life, and I always read what Kidner says. I’ve been doing it for 20 years. He’s a tremendous scholar and a godly man. One of the things that always impressed me was his understanding of Psalm 126:5. I first came up with this insight when I was studying Psalm 30. In Psalm 30:5, you have this very famous phrase: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Kidner says you see that many times in the Old Testament, many times in the Bible. He says if you’re a believer, what this is saying is sorrow gives way to joy. You may have sorrow, but if you believe in him, in the end you’ll have joy. Sorrow is temporary; joy is permanent. Sorrow gives way to joy. He says you’re going to find that in many places. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. You’re going to find that in many, many places. But he says the New Testament gives us something more amazing, more profound, more shocking. He says the New Testament goes beyond the Old Testament, because the New Testament does not just say, for a believer, that sorrow gives way to joy. The New Testament goes so far as to say the most odd and most radical thing, and that is sorrow produces joy for the Christian. In the gospel, through the gospel, through Jesus Christ, sorrow produces joy. Now the classic place where that’s mentioned (though there are many places) is 2 Corinthians 4:17, where Paul says, “For our slight momentary afflictions are achieving an eternal weight of glory, which far outweighs them all.” That’s the NIV. The old Authorized Version said produces. It’s the same thing. It doesn’t just say sorrows will give way to joy; the sorrows are producing the joy. They’re creating the joy. They’re achieving the joy. This is amazing. How could it be? Of course, Kidner says there would be no way anybody in any philosophy, in any religion, in the Old Testament, nobody would know that until you see Jesus, because when you look at Jesus Christ, he was the man of incredible sorrows. He was in pain. He was rejected. He was tortured. He was killed. He sorrowed like no one has ever sorrowed. But his sorrows didn’t just give way to joy; his sorrows produced the joy. His sorrows produced the glory. His sorrows were the redeeming way that opened the door for the joy and the glory. His not slight and momentary but eternal afflictions produced an eternal weight of glory for us. If that’s true, then there must be some way in which the pattern remains with us. If you know and understand these things, and if you’re careful with your sorrow, your sorrow doesn’t just give way to joy; it will produce joy. It will achieve it. Now Kidner says the only place in the Old Testament he knows where this is brought out is here. The only place in the Old Testament that points to the New Testament is here. It doesn’t just say, “Don’t worry, weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” What does it say? It says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” The tears are watering something. The tears are producing something. The tears are not just giving way to joy. The tears are producing joy. And what’s so incredible is the little word will. I’m going to get into how this works, but for a second … There is almost no way for me to address all the ways in which it works, but what I really want you to understand is that it does. Twice he says, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return …” There is no doubt, even though the psalmist grants that there are variations in how God works this out, because you see in verse 4 it says, “Restore our fortunes, LORD, like streams in the Negev.” Do you know what streams in the Negev are? The Negev was a terrible, terrible desert. There are all sorts of riverbeds. If you’re a newcomer to the Negev desert, you go through and you say, “What a terrible place! How barren! How fruitless this place is!” You see all these riverbeds, and you think these must be ancient riverbeds; once they were great rivers. No, no. Once in a very, very, very long while, there will be storms in the mountains. Now this actually happened to me once when I was in New Mexico years ago on a camping trip. Many years ago, I was in the Boy Scouts. I was probably 15 or 16 years old, something like that. One of the most amazing experiences I ever had was when it was all sun … We were down in a desert area, but I heard thunder and lightning far in the distance, it was up over the mountains. The guide who was with us said, “Wait till you see what happens.” Well, there was this riverbed, and it was very, very dry. Next thing you know, we heard thunder. The thunder, I thought, meant it was going to rain, but actually, for about ten minutes, it thundered. Next thing you know, I saw what looked like a hill coming. There were trees, there was dirt, there were trunks of trees and all that, but it was a flood of water about seven feet high coming down from the mountains just whooshing right down that river bed. Next thing you know, there was a seven- or eight-foot-deep river. It continued on over the night. When you read the commentaries, what the commentaries will tell you is that’s how the Negev can be. The Negev is a terrible desert, but once in a very rare … (but it does happen), there can be a sudden flash flood, an incredible water come down, and next thing you know, the desert is turned into a garden. There’s greenery, and flowers can spring up overnight. The psalmist is saying, “This is how we want you to work. With all due respect, we ask that our grief will go away, that our problems will go away, that our difficulties will go away. We pray that you will come down in some great way, the way you did once. Everybody will see the salvation of God. We ask you would wipe everything away.” But in verses 5 and 6 it says, “However, this is what we do know: If you keep us in times of weeping, there will be joy. It may be the fast kind. It may be the slow kind. It may be a sudden watercourse in the desert, or it may be that all we’re going to do is painstakingly and slowly be irrigating the land with our tears. But we will have sheaves. There will be a harvest.” This is a remarkable thing. I know some of you have had very hard lives for a very long time, and you say, “What’s going on? I’ve seen other people who have been real messed up, and they’ve come to God and there have been watercourses in the Negev for them. I mean, things have just happened, and they’ve found this and they’ve found that, and their lives have turned around. What’s going on with me?” You see, the Bible is so realistic.
The Bible says, “You will rejoice. There will be sheaves. It may be fast. It may be slow. Don’t waste your sorrows. If you sow your tears, you will reap. It will happen. Joy will be the final note in your life. It will be the final word in your life.” Well, the question is, how? How could that be? How is it possible? How is it possible that, as I tried to say, the joy and sorrow are interdependent? Gospel joy produces deeper sorrow, but gospel sorrow produces deeper joy. Let me just give you a few ideas. First of all, how does gospel joy produce sorrow? Now I already said that before. I said the gospel produces sorrow. Let me show you what I mean, but pretty briefly. First of all, gospel joy means you will be repenting more often. There will be more tears of repentance. Here’s why. Before you’re a Christian, you must believe, you will believe, “Basically, the reason my friends love me, the reason my family loves me, and the reason God will love me is that I’m a good person.” Therefore, there’s a limit. You have a psychological limit to what you can admit about your own flaws. Very, very, quickly, you screen out, you deny, you completely become unconscious, you completely screen out, you just cannot admit just how selfish you are, how cowardly you are, how angry you are. You can’t admit it. It’s psychological death to admit it, because you just don’t have the framework for it. You don’t have the ability for it. You couldn’t possibly admit that. You would just as soon throw yourself off a bridge if you were really as bad as that. But if you’re a Christian, if you understand the gospel … And the gospel is not that Jesus Christ came to show us how to live and die for God (though he did, but that’s not the primary thing). He came to live a life we should have lived and die a death we should have died, as our Substitute, as our Mediator, as our Head, as our Savior, so that when we believe in him, all of that is transferred to us and we are completely loved. And therefore, Christians are people. After you become a Christian, no discovery of your flaws now can undermine your self-worth. You have such assurance of love in the gospel that you can admit many things that before you never could have admitted, and as a result, gospel joy enables you to repent in ways you didn’t repent. If you understand the gospel, you will be repenting much more quickly than you were before, and it won’t be bitter, it won’t be horrible. Before, repentance is like failing to breathe, and after Christianity comes and the gospel comes, repentance is like breathing deeply. If you have enough joy, you’ll be repenting all the time. When you get into a fight, the first thing you’ll do is say, “What’s wrong with me? Where’s my self-centeredness? Where’s my selfishness? Where are my flaws? What am I doing here?” When there’s a problem, instead of blaming other people and pushing everywhere else, if you have that deep assurance, you will be weeping in repentance much, much more than you were before. Joy produces sorrow. But then … think about this … it’s the sorrow of repentance that produces a joy you’ve never had before. Every time you repent, you get free. If you come to Redeemer, one thing you’re hearing all the time is that Christianity frees you from idols. Isn’t that right? If you’ve been coming to Redeemer, you’ve heard me say that in various forms. The gospel is that before you really rested in Christ as Savior, you looked to other things to save you. You looked to relationships, or you looked to achievement, or you looked to independence in relationships, or you looked to dependence in relationships, or you looked to status, or you looked to approval, you looked to power, you looked to control, you looked to comfort. You looked to something. Ah, but when you made Christ your salvation, you’re free from those things. His approval frees you from needing other approval. His wealth frees you from needing to work too much and make money. What he is frees you. “Yeah, theoretically.” We can walk around Redeemer saying, “I understand myself, and I understand you too. I understand this stuff. You know, I understand the idols of the heart. I understand why you’re driven. I understand why I’m driven. But I have freedom in Christ.” It’s pretty much theoretical until you weep. When you’re weeping, and only when you’re weeping, because something has gone wrong in your life, you can say, “Why am I weeping?” You say, “One of the reasons I’m weeping is I value Jesus so little. Jesus’ love is not that much of a consolation to me. Jesus’ honor is not that much of a consolation to me.” When you start to repent for loving Jesus too little, what happens is his love comes in and there’s a new joy, a new joy of freedom. The more dependent you are on him, the more independent you will be of everything else in the world. You’ll be independent of what other people think. You’ll be independent of what other people say. You’ll be independent of circumstances. The more completely dependent you are on him, the more independent and free you will be. The only way that comes is through the tears of repentance and the tears of, when you suffer, turning and repenting of lack of love for him. Every time you’re disappointed, every time you’re upset, every time … it’s the sorrow that produces the joy. You’re sowing, and up will come fruit.
Or one more. When you get out … in the gospel, you have this tremendous assurance of God’s love. You’re going to stick your neck out, and you’re going to talk to people about things they don’t want to hear. This is another reason joy produces the sorrow, but then the sorrow produces the joy. Joy produces sorrow in that the gospel assurance will, for the first time, make you willing to stick your neck out and get involved in people’s lives even though it’s messy. Do you know how many times Paul says, “I admonish you with tears; I warn you with tears; I speak to you with tears”? Why is Paul crying? I’ll tell you why he’s crying. Because it’s very hard to go to people you love and tell them things they’re not going to like. It’s extremely hard to see them growl at you. It’s extremely hard to have them argue with you. It’s extremely hard to see that they’re not happy with what you’re saying. So of course that’s the reason he’s crying. But the question is, why is he doing it? The answer is, because he no longer is a slave to what they think. The gospel pushes him out so that he’s always crying, because he’s in the ministry. Look, the joy of the gospel produces repentance you didn’t have before, yet the repentance produces greater joy. The joy of the gospel produces ministry involvement, which produces all sorts of tears. But the tears will bring incredible joy. There is nothing better than seeing God work in somebody else’s life through you. Don’t you see? “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” These people are weeping more than they would have. They’re weeping because of the joy of verses 1–3, but there’s going to be incredible joy because of the weeping. Therefore, the third principle is the life of faith is a life not just both of rejoicing and weeping, and of greater rejoicing and weeping, but interdependent rejoicing and weeping. It’s gospel joy that produces gospel tears, and then gospel tears produce deeper gospel joy. That’s what it means to live a Christian life because of the Lord.
When we suffer, and when we’re in trouble, we tend to say, “Why me? Why me, Lord?” Now after you become a Christian, you spend some time looking at Jesus on the cross, and you realize when Jesus was on the cross, he asked, “Why me?” But you know, when you ask, “Why me? Why did I break my leg? Why did I lose that job? Why did this bad thing happen to me? Why have I lost my friend? Why did my dear loved person die?” You ask “Why me?” and there’s no answer. Jesus Christ one day called out into the heaven, “Why me? Why have you forsaken me?” We know the answer. For you. He suffered an unjust death so that you could be redeemed. When you’ve seen the answer to Jesus’ “Why me?” you’ll never ask “Why me?” in quite the same way, because you’ll say, “I have no idea why I’m going through this, but if the Person who runs the universe was willing to die for me, then I know there’s some way in which my tears, if I weep them looking at him, repenting, if I weep looking to him on the cross, knowing what he did for me, then my tears will be sowing their seed, in a sense. In my tears (you know like in the little acorns, there are whole trees?), if I do them faithfully, and if I weep looking at him and repenting and loving him and grabbing hold of him, greatness, joy, will come. I will come back with those sheaves.”
Come on: What more can he say than to you he has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? This is a warning. This is comforting. This is it. You notice I hardly ever raised my voice. This isn’t the kind of psalm that makes you raise your voice. It’s the kind of psalm that makes you think, makes you reflect, makes you say, “Teach me to weep like you have wept, so that I can rejoice like you have rejoiced.” Let’s pray.
We ask now, Father, that you would help me … I asked, Lord, tonight, that you would help me convey these truths. Now I ask that every one of us might know how to use these truths in our own lives. Some of us have been weeping a lot. In fact, it’s a very, very good possibility that scores of people in this room have wept today, literally wept today. Show them that you love them more than they love themselves. Show them that you entered into the suffering and the tears of this world. Show them that their tears will not just give way to joy if they trust you, but will work and produce and achieve an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Teach us how to sow our tears. Amen
14. What stands out to you and why?
A. What stands out to you and why?
B. Paul tells nus our slight and momentary afflictions are achieving an eternal weight of glory which outweighs them all. Can you explain and illustrate this?
C. Keller gives two examples of this interdependence between sorrow and joy. Explain how this is true in:
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- Sharing your faith
- Repenting more often
Saturday:
15. What is your take-a-way and why?
Invite your family or friends to join us for Advent!
145 comments
Perhaps many of you are snowed in, as I am. Church cancelled. But a whole day of Sabbath.
I had a lovely Thanksgiving with people from church and my Romanian friend Cristian who is sincerely seeking. He’s been to Jerusalem 3 times and he recorded an interesting debate between a Jewish man and a Christian on the Deity of Christ – -the crux of the issue. Keep praying for him. Love to each of you.
We have at least 8 inches of snow and our church is canceled, here in west Michigan. I do love your story of the joy Steve had and the doctors coming to Christ like dominos. What an exciting time. I’m looking forward to the Keller sermon. I found that I have a friend who also loves Keller. That is fun, too.
Hope you all stay warm and cozy. I am so happy that you had a great Thanksgiving, Dee. I am praying for Christian and for his heart to be open to Jesus, as His Lord. I was so excited to come here and hear how your Thanksgiving went with him for dinner. So thankful the Lord answered your prayers and your electricity came on. I hope you and Chris and anyone else who is snowed in gets to keep their electricity.🙏
Snowed in…Wow! Here in NC we went from 75 on Wednesday to 40 on Thanksgiving to 65 today and it’s now raining!
Enjoyed your opening comments Dee and love the picture (Jim knew right away which one was Steve). I know I’ve said it here before, but Jim has fond memories of Steve’s contagious laugh. It says lot about someone when you remember their laugh and it put a smile on your face. What a wonderful testimony of the influence for Christ y’all had in the lives of doctors and their wives…that put a smile on my face. Will keep Christian in my prayers and I’m so thankful God placed him in your life.
Sharon, a while back, I went with some colleagues to NC for a conference. I love the beauty of the state! I would love 65-degree weather!
Dee, so happy to hear you had a lovely Thanksgiving and had the company of people from church, as well as your Romanian friend, Christian. Praying for him to know Christ.
Yes, continuing to pray for the Romanian friend. I had my nails done yesterday ( such a treat we only do twice a year) Had a conversation with the ladies. One from Vietnam and the other probably originated from there but recently here from Florida. She seemed happy and grateful but also sad. I wish I had made more connections during our time. I don’t always know what to say. Still trying to grow in this area.
Sunday:
How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day? On Thanksgiving Day, our son asked my husband to include in his devotion before the meal, why we celebrate. Our grandkids are all under 8 years old. He asked them a few questions after sharing some short verses on thankfulness. Their answers were so dear and brought all of us much joy. We have one 3 years old grandson who has an exceptional memory and can recite the apostle’s creed just from hearing it at church in the evenings. My husband asked if anyone knew John 3:16 and he piped up reciting it, but couldn’t quite remember the ending and made up his own version which was really cute. My husband and I both had in mind to share that although our family has had some exceptionally difficult circumstances, we are all so grateful to be together and have our faith. What a gift!
Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did. Boy, I’m sure there is something but the most amazing thing I can think of was my son’s experience on the tractor after the July 4 parade and him hearing a voice say, “You aren’t going to make it!”- as he crossed the intersection and narrowly missed a collision with oncoming traffic. It was not laughter but awe at the saving of his life. Afterward, he said he thought it was his dad’s voice at first but realized he never could have heard his dad over the tractor engine and his dad did’t see it coming as he was ahead of him on his own tractor. Of course, we know now it was his Heavenly Father. I am so grateful he was spared that accident.
I love your Thanksgiving stories and tractor stories. And I listened to your pastor explain “he descended into hell” and thought it was the best explanation I ever heard — that, as the creeds were meant to do, overcome a heresy of the time. He said there was a heresy that Jesus wasn’t really dead but just badly wounded. Hell should have been translated descended into death. So clear. Thank you, Chris!
Thank you, both. I liked his explanation as well.
Chris, Both of these stories took my breath away. You 3 year old grandson sounds amazing. What a lovely family Thanksgiving. I love how your son heard the voice of our Heavenly Father. He is near to us always. It is such a great reminder.
Chris, thanks for the tractor story! I had goosebumps. “My Lord is with me all the time,” by George Beverly Shea, is a song that came to mind.
“When the thunder shakes the mighty hillsAnd trembles every treeThen I know a God so great and strongCan surely harbor me.”
Thank you, Bing and Sharon. Bing, I love how you always have a song. What a gift.
Chris, I too love your thanksgiving stories…so precious and definitely a gift!
1. How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
We had a nice time having dinner with friends of my daughter and her husband. The daughter of the couple, and her boyfriend were very lovely and interesting. The daughter said a sweet grace. A sister also came, and she was an artist and art teacher. The Lord gave us a sweet and simple day. It is always so good to meet new people and learn about their lives. The conversation was uplifting. Most of all, I loved texting with my grandchildren, who are all far away. 💕🙏
2. Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
There are a number of times, but the one that I think of today is when I was so sad, because I lost my dad. He was a dear, wonderful Christian man, and I miss him so. I had flown back to Minneapolis for his memorial service and after the service, we returned to my mom’s condo. The phone rang and my son told me that my first grandson, Jack, had been born. my immediate thought was oh they passed by each other. On dad’s way to Heaven and then Jack’s way to earth. I smiled. He was a preemie, but all went well and he grew up to be a wonderful young man, who loves the Lord . He has so many attributes of my dad. He is a huge blessing in my life, and his birthday is December 1. I smiled through deep sorrow. God is so so good.
Oh, Patti! What a sweet story of your Dad and Jack passing each other by! I can see them waving at each other with big smiles, your Dad to be with Jesus in Heaven, and Jack, to bless you and your family on earth. Sorrow and joy can intermingle, indeed!
Patti, sweet and simple to describe your Thanksgiving day sounds wonderful.
This comment is so you…” I smiled through deep sorrow. God is so so good.” It reminds of the verse from Nehemiah 8:10, “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Patti, I love your appreciation for the gifts you are given and the smiling through deep sorrow. Just wonderful.
I love this, Patti “Oh, they passed each other.”
Sunday:
How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
There were 9 of us who came to dinner. My husband and his older sister worked the kitchen, which gave them enough time to talk about things without the rest of us interrupting. I was able to spend some Scrabble game time with a nephew and his wife, and my other sister-in-law. Ruth pulled the rest into a conversation about her new job as an ESL instructor after they expressed interest in it.
Overall, I sensed goodwill among us adults, and we were not encumbered with the necessary running after the little kids who were not there. As I looked around, I thanked God for each one and felt the preciousness of each genuinely.
The Lord came as the “special guest” at our dinner. He came to remind me that all is well amidst the different personalities that were gathered. He reminded me that family is a unique bond, more so when God is in it. I have longings for deeper conversations about how God is working in each of our lives. But I can be content, too, with where we are. He has impressed me in my heart to be intentional at connecting with my 2 sisters-in-law from now on instead of just occasionally.
I have initiated a weekly text update with one of my sisters-in-law (the oldest). She has diminishing eyesight and can get discouraged at times. I hope to do the same with my other sister-in-law (my husband’s twin). She has two grown children, and one has Down syndrome.
Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
One of the times that I can remember when the Lord filled my mouth with laughter was when my Mom was “cured” from what we thought were symptoms of declining health. We thought she was dying.
Several of you knew about this. I can still picture myself at the airport, weakened from a respiratory bug on my way to the Philippines, arriving there and going through red-taped medical care before my mom could see her doctor. Come to find out she has not been taking her medicine that she was supposed to continue after she finished a prescription of it. She did not know that she was to have it refilled! So, we went to the pharmacy, bought her meds, and the next day, we could tell that she was on the road to recovery. Laughter filled her house as my sister, my aunts, and uncles came by to visit when they heard the good news! God healed (and did it again) my mom two more times and extended her life until He took her home 5 years ago.
Laughter filled our mouths when a wandering, alcoholic, and philandering husband surrendered his life to Christ. This Christian friend was estranged from his wife and daughter and got reunited shortly after he became a Christian. He lived long enough to be reunited with his wife, and he saw his daughter and granddaughter come to Christ.
Restore my joy, O Lord! Do these again!
Bing, loved how the Lord met you on Thanksgiving day and how in tune you are in listening to God speak to your heart in being intentional with your sister-in-law’s…I know y’all will be blessed.
I do love your keen sense of the Lord and your response to Him. 💜
Those are astounding answers to prayer, Bing!
I love how the presence of the Lord brought love and beauty to your day, Bing. I love that you are intentionally going to keep in touch with your sisters in law. Your sweet spirit in their lives will mean so much to them. I love the story of your mom. God is truly active in all of our lives.
1. How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
It ended up being a quiet day. I even took a walk.
2. Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
Oh so many…little things that make me smile. He just shows up. That recent rainbow is a great example. The kids and I were throughly amazed by the beauty! It was a double rainbow and I know it looks fake, but it was not fake! Thank you Lord for reminding us of Your glory!
Oh Laura…love how you and your grandkids got to see that double rainbow. A beautiful gift and reminder of God’s love for us.
Laura, I love the simplicity of a quiet day and a walk. Sometimes, I have to be reminded that God is in the small things, too.
A walk and a rainbow-both sound lovely.
What a perfect quiet day for you, Laura. I love that your kids were with you to experience the miracle of the double rainbow. God is always showing His Glory to us.
Sunday:
1. How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
God blessed me with a sweet husband who got up at 4am to rinse the brine from the turkey and get it on the smoker at 5am.
I had prepared most of the meal the day before with the help of my two grand boys who had no school. I have to share that the younger one (6) was a big help in decorating our Christmas tree on Wednesday. In fact he did most of it and did a great job of placing all the ornaments strategically…better than me! Thanksgiving dinner was filled with love of family, memorable stories and laughter. I did pray that God would show me who we could invite and open our home to, but that didn’t happen. I do continue to pray…God knows and His timing is perfect. Appreciate you praying Dee and your continued prayers.
2. Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
When we lived in Africa we would go down a river in inner tubes where my Dad had to cut out a path with a machete so we could walk up and find a place to put in. The Africans who lived near by told him to keep an eye out for hippos which never deterred my Dad because of his adventuresome attitude. Well, one time one of the other missionaries, Uncle Charles (wasn’t really my uncle but us kids addressed the adults as aunt and uncle) went down with us and he entered the river after me. The fun part was going over huge boulders as the inner tube would be air borne for a bit…so exhilarating! Uncle Charles thought he was going over a boulder that turned out to be a hippo. I turned around to his screaming because the hippo coming out of the water really sent his inner tube high in the air. It was quite amazing to see such an incredible animal and it did make me laugh as that hippo had no idea what went over him and thankfully Uncle Charles was ok and the river kept him moving away from the hippo. I know God watched over us in so many ways but am thankful for the experiences that brought much laughter in enjoying Gods creation up close and sometimes too personal!
Sharon! A hippo?! That is adventure! I’m afraid to swim with a nest of catfish let alone a hippo. Haha. I love all the help you had on Thanksgiving. My husband has no interest in preparing the meal and I have little, so our kids bring lots of sides and I cook the meat. I do miss my mom’s meals. She always put on such a big meal and did all the cooking. Us kids usually brought a dessert, but she also had several. It was a true feast.
Chris! Our moms! Yes. That’s the reason I ended up giving in to having the meal this year. I am so tired and our daughter just doesn’t get it. I remembered my mom and my husband’s mom ALWAYS having the Thanksgiving meal. It was quite the spread. Who ever showed up got the benefit of that beauty and food. I felt like I needed to be like our moms and provide. What a great memory.
I love that we share that memory, Laura. I do miss those feasts. I try to find little ways to replicate it. I’m tired as well and just can’t seem to muster the energy she found for it. I think she cooked for a week straight!
Now that’s a story to beat them all!!!!
Sharon, your Thanksgiving sounds lovely! Love that your husband did the turkey and your grandsons decorated the tree!So good to be with family and share memories and laughter. I am praying that God will be someone or several new friends into your life. I wish you were my neighbor! 🥰 Wow! That hippo story is Amazing!! I love that Dee wrote about your dad and his relationship with Steve.
That’s a hilarious story! I would have been terrified!
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
The joy of returning home stand out to me. It’s like how I feel when I’ve been on vacation for a bit and then come home to my own place and bed!
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time.
There isn’t too much to go on here, but they were captive (one translation says), in exile. They are joyful that they are returning home. Apparently amazing things had been done by the Lord, for them.
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading? “…we were like those who dream.” When something happens that seems like it could only be a dream, wow! That is something.
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time. Like those who dream, mouth filled with laughter, tongue with shouts of joy, the nations said the Lord has done great things for them, they said we are glad.
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading? They seek restoration and remember to have hope.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor. They want the Lord to restore their fortunes. The Negev is a desert, so for it to have streams would be to restore the land to a place of growth.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here? They are remembering the times God was good to them and asking for that again in this new sorrowful time.
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6? Reap shouts of joy. Interesting that I recently had a conversation with a woman who has faith and lost a baby. She thanked me for a card I sent and we texted back and forth a bit. I shared that there is something holy about the loss of a child. She replied with how she couldn’t stop thinking about this. She agreed. There is something holy about the very deep grief that brings us closer to the Lord than we could ever imagine without it. That grief makes us so grateful for the times of fortune that we can only dream of without the gifts from the Lord. Like my husband and I both thought at Thanksgiving- though we have faced many, many challenges over the last years, we have one another and our faith. The Lord is faithful through it all and in our deepest grief, he will grant restoration eventually, even if it is not until eternity.
What an interesting thought — something holy about losing a child. I’m pondering that.
Honestly, the first time I thought it was when I was texting this mom. It seemed odd at first, and she didn’t respond until a couple days later and I was afraid it didn’t sit well with her. But she got it! I’m eager to meet her now and share our stories.
Oh, Chris! Your conversation with this woman, who lost her baby, was so meaningful. I do see how grief has brought me closer to the Lord. What is on this earth is all temporary, but what is on heaven is with God and eternal. It reminds me of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. “Therefore, we do not lose heart, both though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”
Absolutely, Patti. These experiences have opened my eyes to the eternal like nothing else. The grandchildren who have gone to heaven have created a bond our family never had before. I can’t remember now where I started saying this to myself but I heard somewhere, I think scripture—they will not come to us, but we will go to them. 🤍
Chris, I’ve never thought about losing a child as being something holy. I know in my experience it did draw me closer to God like nothing else did or could, but I have also seen the opposite which so saddened me.
I agree Sharon. I think I have seen both as well and this is key. What is our response to these situations. Like Patti’s perspective of “Oh, they passed each other!” What a great way to see this!
Chris, would experiences like the loss of a child be a holy experience because God was very present? Holy ground! I definitely will keep that in mind from now on! Oh, I can hardly talk about this!
Yes, Bing. I think that is it. In our experience it was a time our family came together like never before. We spent the entire time leading up to the funerals together. Regular life stopped. We had meals together every day. Our sons made coffins together with my husband. The girls planned flowers and memorials and casket lining and grave clothes. We chose music and people to sing. It was this great opportunity to share the gospel. And the singing at graveside with just our family present with the pastor. The Lord was there! The people he motivated to be a part of everything and support us. It was like nothing I’ve ever been through. Far different from the tragic car accident my family was in when I was a child and no one was following the Lord that they knew from childhood. As believers, these transitions look different. It’s not goodbye but see you later- as heartbreaking as it is. The pastor who led the message for my grandson’s funeral was tearing up because he had lost his first baby 30 years ago or something. He said, “I thought I was okay, but it still gets to me.” He asked, Is this hard? Yes! But is it okay? Is the Lord with us and working in this? Yes! And oh, how the Lord works in the hard things. The Lord’s megaphone, right?
Oh, Chris! Thank you for sharing this time of sorrow. What a powerful and meaningful experience. Love how the Lord works in hard times! ‘The Lord’s megaphone!” So good!
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
It is a Psalm about restoration, about remembering what God has done in the past, and trying to imagine that joy in their hearts again.. For me it is about praying through your tears, about seeing what you know about God, but it is not something you can see or feel right now. It is about trust for what God can do.
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time.
We were like those who dream, our mouth was filled with laughter, our tongues filled with joyful shouting. The Lord has done great things. He will do great things again.
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
Life can sometimes feel like a desert. Our tears of pain will someday reap shouts of joy.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
Restore our captivity O Lord, as the streams in the South. The Negev would be dry desert in certain months, but flourish with vegetation when the people learned how to conserve the water from the winter rains.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
They are remembering what God has done in the past and trust in Him to bring that joy to their lives once again.
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6? If we use our pain and tears to walk with others in sorrow, showing compassion and understanding, it will build relationships.
Yes, to D! Relationships. Isn’t that what everything is about? Love God and love others. Our world has made it all about ME. But it should be all about WE.
Patti, your answer to C is what keeps me going. Remembering God’s faithfulness, provision, never changing, protection, love, peace, grace…a list that is inexhaustible. Praise God🙏!
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
The Psalmist gave credit to the LORD for bringing them back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream filling them with laughter and joy.
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time.
Like a dream, filled with laughter, sang for joy, other nations were amazed what the LORD had done for them, and the LORD did do amazing things for them…what joy!
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
It’s a beautiful picture of the work the Lord can do in our lives if we trust in Him during times of sorrow.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
Restore our fortunes, like streams in the Negeb!
The word Negeb means “to be dry, parched.” It’s a general designation for south or south-west region of Judah.
It’s all about what the Lord can do…that’s where their hope lies.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
Sowing in tears and weeping as they plant seed.
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6?
Harvesting with shouts of joy and singing.
Yes, it’s all about what the Lord can do! 💜
Dear Sharon, I agree with you and Chris, it is about what the Lord can do. He can use us even in our desert moments, refreshing us so we flourish.
Sharon — if you didn’t already — show my opening to Jim — want him to know how much his dad meant to us!
I did show Jim and his response was,” that is sure nice of her.” He has very fond memories of you and Steve and likes hearing about how and what you’re doing now.
That sounds like a “Don” response.
We were such baby Christians, and I’m embarrassed to think of some of the things we did wrong, like giving them a used dishwasher that had to be hooked to the sink. Oh my. Don always said, “I receive everything with thanksgiving, even if I have to bury it in the backyard.” Always full of grace.
Thanksgiving Weekend 2025
Sunday:
How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day?
—He graciously met me first thing in the early morning through his Word. My heart was encouraged and he gave me strength for the day. We had over night guests in the house for a week with my daughter’s family here from Montana and then an extra 5 overnight on Wednesday night. Thanksgiving Day was busy with more family joining us in the house. Three of our four children and their spouses along with 12 of our grand children came together and we had a day of fun, food and fellowship. My house gets pretty much turned upside down with that many around but when it came to planning and the food preparation the adult children pitched in and provided generously doing the work to make it a feast and a time of meaningful interaction and lots of laughs. My husband’s family especially have always had a good sense of humor and love to laugh which my children do as well. It was a time of experiencing God’s grace.
Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did.
—Oh you tax my brain! 😊 God has proven to be amazing in many ways over the years.
The Lord is so gracious to constantly be moving and answering prayer in our lives. He is so close all the time. Even when it feels hard and there are troubles He speaks into my life when I take time to ask and listen. I had asked the Lord to keep us all healthy during our time together over Thanksgiving. I think it is absolutely amazing that no one was sick or got sick during all our time together. The logistics of that are something only God could do. I believe that contributed to much joy among us. Why would God do that for us? We certainly weren’t deserving of that. But I asked Him for it. And He did it. I smile even now because of Him. He is amazing!
Bev, I love your keen sense of speaking to the Lord and his answers. I sometimes pray for things like health or safety and forget to thank the Lord later, but you are right! We are not deserving and so often he grants our prayers and I do not give enough thanks or credit. As real as the Lord has been to me in hard times, I still fail to acknowledge him in the day to day rather often. Funny story-My 7 year old has been using catch phrases as he picks them up and it’s been rather funny, because he will use them and then say, “What does that actually mean?” Haha. At guitar lessons, he struggles to get through the 30 minutes and will ask, “Are we almost done?” When he hears we are nearly done he will exclaim, “Praise the Lord!” I haven’t really had the heart to say it isn’t necessarily the right time to say that 😂
What a joy filled Thanksgiving, Bev! Love your thankful heart! Love your sweet son’s perspective, Chris. 😉
Pretty clever 7-year-old!
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
There must have been many times when He has restored the fortunes of the Israelites because of the word “When”. This psalm is an acknowledgement of the work God has done for them in the past.
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time.
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
We were like those 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.
They remember their dreams fulfilled; they remember the sounds; they remember that others saw what their God has done for them. They considered the works of God as great things.
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
The plea, anticipation, and confidence that God will restore their fortunes.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
Negev is an arid place and lacks evidence of a water source. They are asking for a miracle from God. Against all odds. “More than we could ask or ever imagine (Ephesians 3:20)
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
They are bringing their seeds (tears) to sow and expect a reaping of sheaves.
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6?
We will reap joy and a harvest. Our past studies here have given me a different view of tears, and I anticipate some more learning after listening to Keller and reading your comments.
I love your answer to B-asking for a miracle from God-against all odds, and Eph. 3:20-it keeps popping up.
I’ve heard that tears can be “good grief.”
Sunday
1. How did the Lord meet you on Thanksgiving Day? We had our family Thanksgiving the Saturday before actual Tgiving day. The love of family was so evident. I was a little sad that our children have all chosen to walk away from the Lord, but He reminded me that my responsibility is to keep showing them the unconditional love that he has shown me. Thinking about that caused my soul to rejoice and renewed my spirit.
Share a time when the Lord filled your mouth with laughter because of something amazing He did. First will always be the day He quickened my spirit, claiming me for His own. The laughter and lightness of soul I had, just wow. That was in 1973. A more recent time was in 2008, when the Lord healed me (kidney infection/sepsis). While still in the hospital, but healed, the Lord showed me how the whole sequence of events leading to that point were orchestrated by Him, for His glory and to show everyone His power, I was overcome by His presence. I was laughing. praising Him, and singing. What a mighty God we serve! I spent just 9 days in the hospital, when the estimates were that I would be there weeks.
Cheryl, what wonderful ways God has filled you with laughter. Yes, to showing unconditional love to our children. May their eyes be open to the truth and be restored to fellowship with God and experience His joy and peace.
Cheryl, what a bright hope you have! That is our Lord. And keep sharing your miracle healing. That’s amazing 😊
Oh, Cheryl! Thank you for sharing the story of your healing. Our God is always in all the details of our lives.
Cheryl, I too am saddened that my children aren’t walking with the Lord, but I like what you said your responsibility is…continually showing them the same unconditional love He has shown you, yes! I will keep them in my prayers and may their hearts be softened to the things of the Lord.
Love both of those Cheryl. Just wow. 🙂
Tuesday
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why? What are you doing with your tears? They need to be sown, invested. Hmm. Never thought about this before. I can clearly picture myself correcting a child who is crying for attention and saying something like, this is nothing to cry about while helping them voice their feelings. So I can see where tears can be used in ways that are not appropriate, but investing them? I guess my most obvious example of this would be when my DIL and son chose to use their daughter’s death as an opportunity to share the gospel with as many people as possible.
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do? What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?” We are to expect tears, new kinds of tears and sow our tears. I’m eager to listen to the rest of the message.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls? What does it mean to sow them? Tears shed in self-pity take us down. Tears that shed pain and look to the Lord for restoration are sown. I used to be angry at my mother after our tragic car accident when she turned inward and looked for ways to please herself. Later, I could see this was self-preservation. She didn’t know how to help anyone else, let alone herself. She poured herself into horses and found peace riding in the woods. She still does. Her tears have tore her down. They were not sown in her faith and restoring life. Her marriage broke and slowly all her relationships with her children. I feel bad for her and want to help her see how to restore her faith and sow her tears. Something has changed in her since losing my step-dad. I’m hoping for more opportunities for discussion. She has managed to build a community of horse friends. They all love her. I know she grew up in church through high school and she had us kids baptized, but things fell apart in her faith/relationships when tragedy struck.
Chris, it breaks my heart to read about your mother. I can understand how she feels, and I pray that she can heal. It seems like a lonely place to be without family. I thank God that He was by my side through the valley of the shadow, every minute. I thank God for my daughters, my close friends and all of you dear friends on this blog, who have shared your tears, and helped me walk through the valley of my loss. It is tempting to be alone and hug my dogs, but it is not what I feel the Lord would want me to do. Even my husband encouraged me when he was so sick. I know that Jesus has to be Lord of my life, there is none that can take His place. Sowing the tears is using the pain (or rain) to help others go on, across the desert to the garden, where they can flourish for Jesus.
Patti, I agree 100%. Thank you. I hope we can bridge more conversations about this in the future and she can mend her heart and relationships.
Interesting about the wrong use of tears. Lord, please be with Chris’ mother — bring her back to trusting You.
Thank you. Been praying for years and I do think the Lord is slowly working to restore.
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
I guess the contrast between the sorrow and the joy stand out.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
They pray for new fortune. The Negev is a semi-arid, arid part of southern Israel. It only receives 8 inches of rain a year! Sometimes, in Biblical history though, farmers were able to terrace farm and raise cattle of sorts. Since rivers do not run through this southernmost part of Israel, it would be a blessing if they got some rain. They would rejoice for the streams created just like the restored fortunes. It seems like a strange analogy though since the rain would not, most likely, not come 🤷🏻♀️.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
Sowing means to plant the seeds. The harvest will be when the plants have grown. If you sow in tears, I suppose you use your tears for good (?). This stuff eludes me….
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6?
Sowing tears will lead to joy and singing.
Laura — will pray. So frustrating, but God does know.
My understanding, and it may not be right, is that streams in Negev flowed when there was rain — it didn’t have to be much, because the water was there, underneath, waiting. Love input from others.
Just an update. The judge canceled court (yesterday) for today. He apparently couldn’t make it. We will have another day in January. Frustrating. Thank you for your prayers.
I will continue praying. I pray for a miracle from the Lord in all of this, Laura. May you get through this desert with the Lord by your side. We Praise His Name for we know He is in charge.
Thank you for the update, Laura. It continues to be a long journey for you with all the delays, but the Lorde has a plan. Praying for you. Love, cheryl
Oh, so hard for us to wait, but the Lord is working all the while. Praying for you, Laura.
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading? First that it is a song of degrees, someone is going up to Jerusalem to the temple and singing this Psalm. He is remembering how the Lord delivered them from captivity in Babylon, They didn’t know if they were awake or asleep, such was their happiness. It was a witness to the nations of the Lord’s power (reminds me of His miracles in Exodus).
B. This is a time of sorrow, but they are remembering a wonderful time. It sounds like the time they were delivered from slavery in Egypt, but Keller says we don’t know when it was, for there were many times they were delivered. Find everything you can about how they remembered that time. They recognized that the LORD freed them. It was like a dream, “Is this really happening?” There was laughter and singing from sheer joy and gladness. The Gentile nations recognized that the LORD had freed the captive Jews. The Israelites were thankful, “The LORD has done great things for us.” 4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading? It appears that some were still in captivity, and the psalmist is praying with tears that the LORD would rescue them also. There is confident hope in the LORD’s faithfulness, and the sorrow would be turned to joy when all the captives returned.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor. The prayer is that all Israelites still un captivity would be freed. The Negev is an extremely dry territory in the south with very little rainfall. A stream running through it would bring joy, renewal of land/crops, prosperity. The metaphor is that the captives were like the Negev (dry and thirsting spiritually), and the LORD’s deliverance would be the streams.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here? Their tears accompanied a heartfelt prayer (pleading with tears is like sowing seed – watering it with tears – waiting for the harvest).
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6? Joy when we see the fruit of our answered prayers. I think it is important to realize that we may not see that fruit here on earth, but we can be confident that whatever seeds we sow with tears WILL bear fruit of some king in the Lord’s perfect timing.
Love your answer to D. Cheryl! We may not see the fruit here on earth, but in the Lord’s perfect timing.
Monday: The Text
3. Read Psalm 126:1-3
A. What stands out upon first reading?
—The repeated acknowledgement of joy that is expressed for the amazing things God had done for them stands out to me. Even other nations recognized the amazing things God did for them. Joy is contagious.
How they remembered that time:
— It was a time when it felt too good to be true to them. “….it was like a dream!”
—It was a time that had them enjoying and laughing in the pleasure of what God had done for them. “We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.”
—It was a time when the other nations around them observed what God had done. “And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”
4. Read Psalm 126:4-6
A. What stands out to you upon first reading?
—Verse 4 speaks to their need of the Lord and their request is for God to come again and restore and refresh their lives as He did in the past. They need his touch. I identify with this in that life gets heavy and begins to feel dry and empty because I can forget God’s place and power to restore what I have experienced from him in the past. And I need his life giving touch of refreshing.
B. What is their prayer in verse 4? Research the Negev and see if you can understand the metaphor.
—Their prayer request was “Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.”
Negev means “dry Land” and there is very little rainfall under 10” yearly and only occasional places to find streams of water. Where there is water trees will grow and flowers will bloom and there is refreshing from the dryness to be found.
C. Keller says don’t stuff your tears or vent your tears, but sow your tears. How are they doing that here?
—I think this is about the heart and having a tender heart towards God that results in a tender heart towards others. Our hearts ache for others to be saved and know Jesus. Especially those very close to us and that often brings us to tears in praying for them. So we sow and plant in tears trusting God to give the harvest.
D. What will sowing our tears lead to, according to verses 5-6?
—Shouts of joy and singing when the harvest happens.
Bev, such insight to your answer to C…”it’s about the heart”. And how our heart aches for others to be saved…tears in praying for them. So good and so true.
I so agree with you and Sharon, Bev. It is sorrow and a painful desert, when we see our loved ones wander from God or from the fold of family. It causes a deep ache in our hearts. May we know the joy of seeing them return to God.
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why?
Our sorrows will not always diminish, but they will change. Our tears can become rain that will water the soul of another, who may be in his or her own desert. The tears turn our sorrows to compassion, and a balm to soothe the souls of others.
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do? What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?” My pity party does not change circumstances, that is simply wasting my sorrows. If I use my sorrows to help another, to lift an aching heart or a child in need of a friend, or show appreciation, instead of seeking pity, I will experience a joy in my heart.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls? What does it mean to sow them? I think of those who have written hymns after going through tragedy. I think of “Peace like a River”. I think of those on our blog, who have lost children, and you have shared your tears with us, which has been strengthening for others. And of those of us who are widows, who look forward to seeing our loved one again. On this earth, we will all experience loss, yet one day when we see Jesus, we will be filled with joy!
Patti, Your answer to question 7 is such a good analysis of how the water is our tears. 💕
Amen to Bev, Patti!
Amen!
Tuesday: The Map of the Christian Life
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why?
—He brings out the fact that in life we will have tears. We need to expect them and we are to use them. There is value in tears. Tears reveal what is happening in a heart. Tears come to people with tenders hearts. I find it interesting that so many people feel the need to apologize for their tears. More often than not when someone is sharing and they are brought to tears they will apologize for crying. I always think don’t say you are sorry for crying. Your tears are legitimate and reveal your heart. They give genuineness to the message.
I know there are those who can try to manipulate with their tears but I am referring to those obviously genuine feelings that surface with tears.
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do? What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?”
—He says our sorrows need to be sown and invested. They need to be the water that brings about fruit in our own lives and the lives of others.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls? What does it mean to sow them?
—Our tears can be selfish and come from feeling sorry for ourselves or they can be a cleansing relief of emotions that need to be expressed and not stuffed down. I also think when you cry with someone who is hurting you sow your tears in empathy.
Bev, I like how you said, there is value in tears, and that tears reveal what is happening in the heart.
Amen to Cheryl, Bev!
Tuesday: The Map of the Christian Life
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why?
Psalm 126 is an emotional map for the person who believes in God. It’s a picture, an overview, of the emotional life that the life of faith brings.
6. According to Keller, what does this psalm teach us to do?
It teaches us how to handle and understand our times of weeping and sorrow and what to do with our tears .
What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?”
We need to be sensitive to what God is trying to teach us through our sorrow and allow that to bring glory to God.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls?
Tears take us down when they’re wasted on feeling sorry for ourselves…nothing can grow!
Tears can restore our soul if they are used to water what has been sown and growth takes place.
What does it mean to sow them?
Invest in them, take care to water and nurture them.
Love all of your answers, Sharon, especially this: Invest in them, take care to water and nurture them. and Bringing Gloty to God.
Glory not gloty
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why?
His comments about water. I tell my students and my kids that, “Water is life.” So his comments about water and tears make me think that tears are life.
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do?
The Psalm is an “emotional map of a Christian.” It guides how we live as followers of Christ.
What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?”
Probably, that even in times of sorrow there is blessing or productivity.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls?
A good cry can make us feel better. That’s restorative. Not sure how they can “take us down,” unless it’s more of a depressive state rather than actual crying.
What does it mean to sow them?
Keller says it’s investing them. I’m not sure what he means.
I love this, Laura. even in times of sorrow there is blessing or productivity.
Your answer about water made me smile…a true teacher. We watch a show on Discovery Channel called Homestead Rescue and Marty the main character always tells the homesteaders…”if you don’t have a good source of water, you won’t succeed!”
Interesting about tears being life because water is life. Water can also be destructive as in the flood. I’m thinking of how tears come at a time when we are full of emotion, raw emotion. The tears come and we have a choice to make about how to respond. Will we feel sorry for ourselves and become bitter and angry? Will we look to the Lord and ask what purpose he has in our pain? Will we look for ways to help others through similar pain and share the hope we have? Or will we warn others to stay away from that pain and put up walls to keep out the flood waters? Water can be cleansing as it washes away disease and sickness can be healed. Or we can refuse the cleansing water and let the disease fester. Hmmm.
Good points and deep thoughts, Chris. Water has such a force (as in the flood). I thank God for the man who invented the hot water heater! A hot shower when it’s cold is wonderful. A water molecule has a shape of Mickey Mouse ears ;). It is also polar (attractive). Water is pretty cool at the molecular level.
I’m a big fan of hot water also! Haha. I love the Mickey Mouse ears-cute. And polar-interesting. Creation is so intricate and amazing. I’ve been reading Ezekiel for another study and the symbolism is out of this world-literally. Chapter 47 especially speaks about water flowing out of the temple and its cleansing and life giving properties. Jesus talks about life giving water in the New Testament. Water is a huge part of our world and provides much food for thought.
Wednesday: The Life of Faith is Both Rejoicing and Weeping
8. What stands out to you and why?
—Keller’s last comment in this section stands out to me when he says “Why did he (Jesus) go through the sorrow? For the sake of the joy that was set before him, he went to the cross”
I have never forgotten Paige Benton Brown’s teaching on this phrase when she said “We” are the joy that was set before Christ and it was the joy of our salvation and our being brought into His kingdom by the Cross that he suffered and died. We were the reason for his joy. I would say this is the greatest example of the mixture of joy and sorrow in a life.
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126:2?
—The point was that whatever God had done for his people in bringing them back that resulted in such great joy had demonstrated that their god was really God. Their joy was a testimony to the amazing thing that God had done for them.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper?
—Jesus started his ministry at a party. It was in an atmosphere of joy and celebration at the wedding feast at Cana that He did his first miracle. But if you look into the Bible where the words like weeping, groaning, sighing, moved with pity are used in association with Jesus you will find he truly was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief”.
Loved this reminder from Bev:
I have never forgotten Paige Benton Brown’s teaching on this phrase when she said “We” are the joy that was set before Christ
Yes! I love that! Thank you, Bev!
Love to be reminded of Paige’s teaching.
Me too! I got a reminder that she is starting a new study. May have to listen!
Tuesday
5. What stands out to you from first hearing and reading this and why? I see/hear the juxtaposition of sorrow and joy. That stands out to me because the natural response (the world’s response all around us) is that sorrow cannot result in joy, but we know it does through faith.
6. According to Keller, does this psalm teach us to do? What does he mean when he says, “Don’t waste your sorrows?” He says it teaches us how to handle times of weeping and sorrows. “Don’t waste your sorrows” means to sow/invest our tears.
7. The water is our tears — how can tears either take us down or restore our souls? What does it mean to sow them? Tears can take us down when we hold on to our sadness/sorrow, almost a paralyzing effect. Restoration happens when we turn those tears over to the Lord (he know/understands), rest in His peace, confident in His promises. Sowing would be when I can share with others what the Lord did for me in a time of sadness/sorrow.
Good morning, Sisters, I just have a quick comment about this blog. It just occurred to me that we are all of us “sowing our tears” when we vulnerably share our lives here. We have “watered,” and the Lord has given the increase. It’s not a perfect analogy, as we aren’t preaching like Paul, Peter, or Apollos, but I think the result is the same – hope, renewal, encouragement. We are a comparatively small group, but our influence outside this blog is mighty thru the Spirit. Praise the Lord!
So true, Cheryl!
Amen!
I agree with all of you! Love this analogy, Cheryl!
Great thought!
8. What stands out to you and why?
I love Keller’s reference to sorrow and joy being an emotional map of the Christian life. And that, even in times of weeping, there is a pilot light of joy.
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126:2?
When God did great things for His people, they said “This god is God”. So whatever they experienced was great, but then difficult times came again. They had to remember the good things God had done and the joy they had experienced. Yet, many would stray and quickly forget that joy they once had. They would seek new gods.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper? The wedding feast in Cana showed that He brought great joy and celebration. Jesus was a man of great joy and great sorrow. He went to the cross for us. He went through the sorrow, for the joy that was set before Him, the joy that goes before us to give us eternal life.
Love always “a pilot light of joy.” Did he say that or you?
Keller said something like that:
“Quantitatively, you’ll have as much joy as weeping, as much weeping as joy. Qualitatively, there will be a note of joy that can never be put out, a kind of pilot flame. Even when the burner is off, look down in there. It’s still burning, so that when the gas does show up, there’s a flame again. Look down in your heart. You’re a Christian. Even in times of weeping, there’s a pilot light of joy. In the end, the joy is always the final note. But it doesn’t mean now that you’re a Christian, now that you’re a believer, now it’s joy all the time. “ Tim Keller
Patti, I love that, too! What an excellent picture of the joy we have in Christ and overflowing when the Spirit provides the “gas”!
Wednesday: The Life of Faith is Both Rejoicing and Weeping
8. What stands out to you and why?
I like the illustration of our joy being like a pilot flame. In a Christian’s life during times of weeping the pilot flame of joy is still on, but the burner isn’t on. Just because we’re believers doesn’t mean the burners turned on all the time but there still is a pilot flame.
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126
…And the other nations said, “What amazing things the LORD has done for them.”
Yul Brynner (Pharaoh)in the 10 Commandments made the comment, “his god is God.” He likened it to Pharaoh’s amazement of God to the nations amazement of God in verse 2.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper?
The wedding where Jesus performed His first miracle was a time of rejoicing.
He was also a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He went through sorrow for the sake of the joy that was set before Him, the cross. I think of John 11:35 when Jesus was taken to Lazarus’s grave…”He wept.” Also, Luke 19:41 when He wept over Jerusalem.
8. What stands out to you and why? The idea that quantitatively we have the same mixture of joy and sadness in life, but qualitatively we have this pilot light that doesn’t go out in our deepest grief. True. I’ve experienced that.
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126:2? This whole idea of recognizing that though in life we are drawn to other gods, only God can provide in the ways he does and even the pagans recognize his holiness.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper?
The wedding feast being his first sign-never thought of that as Jesus throwing a party. Haha. And going to the cross for the Joy set before him. The Joy of our salvation.
side note: my husband and I have been reading through the ESV Devotional Psalter and they include this comment on Psalm 126: “Life in Christ is a celebration—not shallow merriment but a deep, pain-acknowledging celebration. For the bet is yet to come.” And also, “..the psalmist sees through the veil of sorrows. He sees that the night of sorrow will one day turn to the morning of gladness. This is the rhythm of Christianity. Christ himself went through this—the weeping of the cross to the joy of the resurrection.” I like the idea of this “rhythm of Christianity.”
“the rhythm of Christianity,” I like that, too, Chris. Thank you for sharing that. I love that we all insert other sources sometimes, it add to the richness of our studies.
Amen to Cheryl. Thank you for sharing this, Chris.
I also love this on Psalm 126 from Chris’s devotional: “Life in Christ is a celebration—not shallow merriment but a deep, pain-acknowledging celebration. For the best is yet to come.”
Chris, the rhythm of Christianity-love this, too!
Wednesday
8. What stands out to you and why? What stood out to me is that I could identify with everything Keller said about joy and weeping, I’m beginning to really look at this Psalm in a whole different light.
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments? How does it relate to Psalm 126:2? The point was that the Pharoah (who worshipped many gods is Egypt) upon his defeat, acknowledged the God of Moses was truly THE GOD. This relates to Psalm 126 which says the nations, upon seeing the deliverance of Israelites, recognized the might and power of the LORD their God. I am reminded of Joseph and Daniel, through their lives and dream interpretations, whom also were witnesses to nations.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper? The example Keller gave of rejoicing was the first public miracle Jesus did at the start of His earthly ministry, turning water into wine at a party (wedding feast). The example he gave for weeping/sorrow was Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Thursday
11. What stands out to you and why? Keller-“ Salvation will make your heart more of a heart. It will not just make it feel happier; it will make it feel. It will make it feel more deeply. It will make you feel, and able to feel. It melts your heart. It melts your heart from the ice. It melts your heart from the stone. It makes you sensitive. It makes your heart more of a heart. It’s not a heart of stone. The heart before you experience the love of God compared to the heart after, that’s the idea … Compared to the heart after, your heart before was stony. It was less feeling. It was more callous. It was filled with defense mechanisms. It was filled with all sorts of ways in which you kept out things that should make and did make the only perfect human heart in the history of the world weep. Why was Jesus always weeping? Why do you think he was always crying? Because he was perfect. Because he was more loving than us. Because he was more compassionate than us. Because he was more sensitive to God’s heart than us. Because he had higher aspirations for people than we do. And the more perfect you get, the more you’re going to weep. It’s only natural.” This section is true and I think we need to add that when our heart of stone is replaced with flesh it’s become in some way a part of the heart of Christ. We are given that sensitivity that we could not have without it. We would say its the Holy Spirit teaching our heart to be sensitive to the things Christ is sensitive to-this is what I’m getting from Keller. We are sadder at the pain in this world but we have hope. This is a mystery and truth taught in scripture.
12. How does the Ezekiel passage relate to us being both sadder and happier? Do you agree? If so, why or why not? I believe Keller is saying we are sadder because we understand the depth of our sin and that of the world, and we are happier because we understand our salvation-God is keeping us for his own by claiming to be our God, and we his people. Without Him, we would be left to our sin. So yes, I agree.
13. What difference is there between the way the atheist looks at sorrow and the believer? I haven’t talked with many atheists but I would say they don’t believe there is any life after death and so sorrow here would just be that. Sorrow. With no hope. That would be rather depressing. My friend from high school recently lost her husband of 10 years in a plane crash. She says she’s doing well, though the first couple months were tough. I’d love to know how she’s processed that. I’m glad she is feeling well emotionally, but I can’t imagine getting through a loss like that without the Lord. I’m hoping to see her over the holidays, but not sure it will work out. We shall see what the Lord has planned.
I agree. We grieve, but not like those who have no hope!
8. What stands out to you and why?
The idea of equal amounts of joy and sorrow over he course of our lives. I guess I disagree with Keller on this one. I do not feel that my life has been equaled out this way. I definitely have had tons of sorrow and can’t remember much joy. Losing my dad at 12 was just the start. The pain of teens. The pain of betrayal of my adult children. A lot of pain. Joy? I guess having children? Hmmm…
9. What was his point about Yul Brynner and the Ten Commandments?
I never saw the movie but remember it in the 70’s. He must have said something that reflected that Moses’ God was THE ONE.
How does it relate to Psalm 126:2?
The nations will see that we are blessed.
10. What illustrations did he give of Jesus being both a rejoicer and a weeper?
Jesus throws a party at the wedding in Cana!
There is not one specific event, but He is known as the “Man of Sorrows.”
I’m with you on your answer to 8. We have to search for the joy sometimes. I’m searching now. 😓
Me too. Yesterday I tried to remember joyous times in my life all day. I heard a snippet of music from the Nutcracker and it reminded me of my childhood and dancing almost every part over the course of 12 years. I do think that was a joyous time for me. Music makes me joyful.
I also think raising our kids in Texas was a joyous time. We had such fun homeschooling, playing, and enjoying each others’ company.
I wonder if the small joyous times add up to the one awful sorrowful time? It seems that the sorrow is SO in your face. The joy can just be something seemingly small. 🤷🏻♀️
Laura, I had a thought. Could it be that our mathematical equations are not the same as God’s? I might say 40 joys=40 sorrows. But can 40 sorrows equal 1 joy, or 1 joy equal 40 exponentially? I’m not sure if I am making sense or using the right words here. Smile.
And could the enemy be working on his own sense of math to tempt us away from joy?
I have a friend who has a 40-year-old son whom I consider to have more sorrows than anybody I know. His “minimal” joys are often snatched by unexpected sorrows.
Good questions. Sometimes we need to find the good in the hard. I know someone who after getting a diagnosis of cancer, responded with thinking about all the people she could share her prayer book with as she sat waiting for her treatments. So in some ways it’s our perspective that matters more than the circumstances. I’ve been navigating a challenging circumstance in family this week and it is heart wrenching -the kind of thing you just wish to take away .
I love your thoughts Bing! And you too Chris. I too have struggled this week feeling sad. Way too busy and just want to participate in Christmas, but too much!
Laura — certainly that is a statement that doesn’t apply to all. I have a friend whose life seems like the life of Job with one catastrophe after another. I am sorry your life has been so hard. I think having a disabled child whose mental state brings so much pain must be so very hard.
Friday:
14. What stands out to you and why?
A. What stands out to you and why? Keller’s prayer: Tell us how to sow our tears. I’m asking this now. How terrible and how appropriate that the Lord has given me tears to sow today.
B. Paul tells nus our slight and momentary afflictions are achieving an eternal weight of glory which outweighs them all. Can you explain and illustrate this? Oh. Our light and momentary afflictions are only that because Christ affliction on the cross is so great and his affliction brought about our salvation -so the idea is ours can bring about some fruit. An illustration? Yes, our car accident when I was a child brought about a seeking of the Lord when there was none.
C. Keller gives two examples of this interdependence between sorrow and joy. Explain how this is true in:
Sharing your faith: it is a joy to share our faith because our hearts are changed. We want others to have that joy and it is found in the sorrow for our sin.
Repenting more often: we are repenting more because our hearts know we need Christ-we cannot do anything on our own though we try in vain. When I find myself in times of trial, as I do now, I look to God and ask what I am to learn. What have I done wrong, if anything. How do I respond to this trial? How do I love others in this? How do I show my love for God in this?
Chris — don’t know what is going on, but praying for you.
I appreciate the prayers. Tough situation. The Lord knows and he is working. 🤍
Thursday: The Life of Faith is Greater Rejoicing and Weeping
11. What stands out to you and why?
NA
12. How does the Ezekiel passage relate to us being both sadder and happier?
Replacing our heart of stone with a heart of flesh will not only make us happier but it makes us feel, which causes us to be more sensitive to sin in our own lives and the hurt that is going on in the world because of it. This is what causes the weeping..our hearts are breaking. Our hearts are no longer hardened and callous to what’s going on in our lives and others, but rather weeping.
Do you agree? If so, why or why not?
I had never thought about this Ezekiel verse this way but it makes perfect sense. The more we become like Jesus, the more we will weep because we too become more sensitive to God’s heart like Jesus did, not perfectly but progressively as we grow in our faith.
13. What difference is there between the way the atheist looks at sorrow and the believer?
Atheist’s don’t believe God exists and so life really has no purpose. What happens in life is just the way it is. Sure life can stink,so suck it up and move on.
The sorrow of the believer comes from having a heart of flesh. There’s purpose, hope and how the believer sees the world is through a Biblical lens.
Saturday:
My takeaway:
I have been gone from home for a few days and couldn’t catch up! I read your comments here and learned a great deal. What Keller said about the Christian life, being both joyful and sorrowful, has made me think. I look back at my life, and indeed this is true: “No matter how much he has done for you, he doesn’t give you unbroken joy. No matter how much you have laughed in the Lord, you will weep. You will weep.” The rhythm of Christianity from Chris is a good phrase, and the quote from Keller, written by Patti, “the pilot light of joy,” made me smile.
Only the promise of Jesus being with me and the joy that awaits me in his presence can make this life worth living. “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the unseen things. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Agree with this 100%!
For those in grief — this from Bing:
Only the promise of Jesus being with me and the joy that awaits me in his presence can make this life worth living.
Amen! Love this Bing!
P.S.
I have been listening to prayers from YouTube by Grace Oasis. This morning’s prayers were spot on in terms of addressing the interdependence of joy and sorrow concerning repenting more often. The first part of the prayers talked about having divided devotion, which brought tears and conviction in my heart. No condemnation (enough to light up the pilot light of joy), as Romans 8:1 reminded me, but just a deeper awareness (sorrow over my propensities to have divided allegiance) of how the enemy lays a trap for God’s people. And joy for the Spirit’s conviction and the opportunity to move on, cleanse anew, and walk the Christian life with the help of God.
As always, thank you, Dee, for leading us by asking thought-provoking questions.
11. What stands out to you and why?
I guess how we look at others after becoming a Christian stands out. To see what they could be is an interesting thought. It may make me pray for them even though I don’t know them.
12. How does the Ezekiel passage relate to us being both sadder and happier?
Because we are now heart felt, as Christians, we feel for others (Christian or not) more, both joyfully and sorrowful.
Do you agree? If so, why or why not?
Probably, because we know what will be lost for others, but also more joyful because you know what can be for them too.
13. What difference is there between the way the atheist looks at sorrow and the believer?
The atheist just thinks for people to “get over it,” when sorrow strikes. The believer knows it will pass and God will help that happen. It’s a focus. The believer knows God has helped before so He will help again. There is HOPE.
14. A. What stands out to you and why?
This is a difficult to understand and put to use, but I get it more than I did before I started.
Keller does mention that he knows people who always seem to have bad lives compared to good. That is heartening compared to the statement that there will be equal amounts of joy and sorrow in our lives.
This stands out:
2 Corinthians 4:17, where Paul says, “For our slight momentary afflictions are achieving an eternal weight of glory, which far outweighs them all.” That’s the NIV. The old Authorized Version said produces. It’s the same thing. It doesn’t just say sorrows will give way to joy; the sorrows are producing the joy. They’re creating the joy. They’re achieving the joy. This is amazing. How could it be?
It’s what I was saying before about the “size” and “amount” of one versus the other. I wondered if many joys could add up to a sorrow or something. Here he answered that here. No matter the sorrows, the glory will be the best we can have.
B. Paul tells nus our slight and momentary afflictions are achieving an eternal weight of glory which outweighs them all. Can you explain and illustrate this?
Funny, this is what I picked above 👆. I didn’t look at this question before I answered!
C. Keller gives two examples of this interdependence between sorrow and joy. Explain how this is true in:
Sharing your faith
When you have the assurance of Christ, you are willing to speak of your faith more. When you do, it might be hard, but joy will come along we with it. There is this back and forth about the joy and sorrow.
Repenting more often
If you know your flaws then you will repent because it won’t be a scary thing anymore. You take ownership of your shortcomings. His approval allows you to not need others’ approval. It frees you.
Keller says, “ The more completely dependent you are on him, the more independent and free you will be.” You won’t be worried about the world judgement, only His.
This was a difficult study, and I had to listen/read several times. I’m still not sure I get it, but I also didn’t get a chance to read through the comments much.
I think you’ve got it Laura. I believe this is something we grow in understanding of as we are sanctified. It’s a tough one. To me, mainly, it’s learning how to find the joy when we are crushed with the heavy trials in life and can change our perspective so that we see the difficulties as light and momentary afflictions. Taking our eyes off ourselves and putting them on the cross-not easy. In order for our sorrows to produce joy, our perspective must change. Like the the girl with cancer thinking of the opportunity to share the gospel, how can I see my difficulty as a way to persevere in my faith for His glory? Like thinking the loss of a child can be a holy, because the Lord is so near and nothing has brought me more to scripture in prayer in my life. We find joy in Him but we don’t seek him in times of happiness like in times of sorrow.
Amen.