Psalm 126:1 (LSG)

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.”

For Meditation

Feel the Psalmist’s joy in Psalm 126. Picture the people ascending to Jerusalem to worship, carrying sacrifices. Close your eyes and hear the music in the air.

The joy of an unexpected gift is truly incomparable. The Psalmist captures this sentiment in the story of Judah, describing their return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity as being “like a dream” when the Lord brought them back.

Thinking about laughter and singing reminds me of Accra’s Old Polo Club on March 6, 1957, the day Dr. Kwame Nkrumah declared Ghana’s independence. The electric atmosphere of that moment is still so vivid. No African nation had gained independence before, and many doubted it could happen. The sheer surprise of it all made the occasion feel almost surreal.

The Assyrians exiled the Northern Kingdom’s people and repopulated their land. Judah, also exiled in Babylon, doubted that they would ever return. False prophecies drowned out Jeremiah’s voice, and hope faded. They forgot God’s promise of seventy years in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-23). But the Lord’s faithfulness prevailed. The people returned to Judah, rebuilt Jerusalem, its temple, and its walls, and celebrated God’s goodness. The nations marveled at the Lord’s work — a testament to his glorious name (2-3).

I do not know your situation, but I know God’s compassion and love can restore your fortunes, just as He did for Judah. In the same way, He can turn mourning into dancing, darkness into light, and tears into laughter. His name is El Shaddai—God Almighty. And you know Him because you have taken refuge in Christ Jesus.

Trust in His promises. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in affliction, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12). He will come to your aid in due time.

Shalom, and have a blessed and victorious morning. Go with renewed hope, for the Lord who restored Zion’s fortunes is able and faithful to restore yours.

Pray with Me

I rejoice in your goodness and deliverance, restoring me from ashes and placing me on the Rock, Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen.