Glad Day Glad Day

"The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.” (Ps 126:3 AV)

What’s interesting regarding this verse is it is shrouded in thoughts just the opposite.  This psalm, many believe, was written upon reflection of the Babylonian captivity.  It speaks of sowing in a time of weeping in the hope that when troubles commence, there would be a harvest awaiting them.  This psalm is the psalm of bearing precious seed.  This reminds me of the wells of Baca of Psalm 84.  These wells were dug in the valley of Baca in anticipation of being filled by sporadic rainfall. This valley of Baca was traveled by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles.  The valley represents hardships along their pilgrimage and even though there were severe dry spells, they dug wells anticipating the LORD would be good to them and fill them with rainwater.  The verse above is an important reminder that even in the very hardest of times, God does great things.  Because he does, we can be glad.

Life is experienced by our perception rather than true reality.  Or, putting it a better way, we experience life based on what we choose to see.  When you are a kid, life is great.  I grew up in the snow belt of N.Y. state.  It was cold and snowy.  We didn’t know how miserable it was until we got older.  When we were younger, we got all suited up and went out and played in the snow until we were so wet we could barely move.  We would come into the house and my Mom would have us take all our wet clothes off, lay them out to dry, and we would sit by the fire with hot cocoa.  It was priceless.  Over the years, the snow became something we had to shovel.  Instead of getting suited up to play in it, we found ourselves out in the snow shoveling off a six-car parking slab and sidewalks on two sides.  Instead of getting soaked by the snow, we were drenched in sweat.  Instead of building forts and having snowball fights, we were getting our work done so we could come back in.  As we got older still, the snow turned into a hazard.  Old enough to drive, we found it rather treacherous.  It can be downright blinding.  Then retirement age comes and the last thing we want to do is shovel or drive in the stuff.  What happened?  Had the snow become more frequent or heavier?  Did winter seem to come earlier and depart later?  What made the difference?

God does not change.  Life is also predictable.  There are certainties in life.   There will be hardships.  Thanks to Adam and our continued failures, our world is full of trouble.  Life abounds with it.  How we process life goes a long way in determining how we experience it.  Our writer is not naïve.  He knows the reality of the situation.  He knows Israel has been led away to a foreign land to serve at the pleasure of a king who does not know God.  They know their lives are forever changed and for most of them, they will never see liberty again.  The writer knows there will be much weeping and sorrow as they leave their beloved land and for most of them, their good days are behind them.  Yet in all this, he reminds others that God has been good to them and regardless of what life seems to be like at the moment, to be glad.  God is good.  All the time.  We simply need to be reminded of this truth, especially at those times when life seems most difficult.