Advent Reflection: Streams in the Desert and Shouts of Joy

Restore our fortunes, LORD, as streams renew the desert. Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.

Psalms 126:4-5

Where I live in the Texas Hill Country, hundreds of creeks meander through the oak-covered hills, canyons, and ranches. A few of these creeks run year round, but most are seasonal. Many of the creeks are, in fact, dry most of the time. This has been especially true during the last few years, when we have been experiencing drought. But, when torrential rain comes, the creeks quickly fill with rushing water, water that often overflows the creek banks.

The streams in the Hill Country are not unlike the wadis in the desert of Israel, which remain dry except in the rainy seasons. When the rain comes, these parched creeks are transformed into life-giving streams that “renew the desert” (126:4). This was exactly the sort of renewal that the people of God needed after they were brought back from exile in Babylon. Though they were once again in the land of promise, their life was anything but perfect. They were “planting in tears” (126:5). On a literal level, the people struggled to get the hard ground to produce the food they needed to eat. But, emotionally and spiritually, the people were also “planting in tears” as they sought to rebuild their shattered lives.

Sometimes we can feel as if we’re “planting in tears.” We work hard to raise our children in the Lord, but they wander away from the life of faith. We labor faithfully in our jobs for many years, only to be laid off in the latest downsizing. We save for a secure future, yet our savings shrink when the economy dips. We try to honor God in our daily lives, but our sin keeps dragging us down. I expect you have your own version of “planting in tears.”

Psalm 126 offers the hope that God will renew us like streams in the desert. It proclaims with confidence that “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy” (126:5). This harvest comes fully in the future when the reign of God is established on earth. Thus, we look forward to the day when we will reap the harvest of our lives with celebration. In the meanwhile, we get to enjoy a taste of the future even as we wait for the banquet that is yet to come.

During this week of Advent, we add a new element into this solemn season of expectation and hope. Today we rejoice because we know that our hope for a savior was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Moreover, we know that the tears of this age will one day become overflowing streams of joy.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: When do you feel as if you are “planting in tears?” What sustains you even when life is hard? Do you think about the harvest of the future, when there will be shouts of joy? When do you experience a bit of that joy in your life?

PRAYER: O Lord, the words and images of Psalm 126 touch our hearts. We too need you to restore our fortunes, like streams in the desert. We need the living water of your Spirit to refresh our parched souls.

It does seem, Lord, that our planting is often in tears. Our lives are filled with challenges, discouragements, and frustrations. Sometimes we are slammed by tragedy. We keep on “planting,” but with plenty of weeping. Thus we long for the day when you will reign completely, when our planting in tears will return an abundant harvest. We look forward to shouting with joy in your presence.

Thank you, gracious Lord, for allowing us to sample a bit of that future joy even now. Thank you for the reassurance of your Word. Thank you most of all for our Savior, Jesus Christ, whose birth we prepare to celebrate in this season of Advent. Amen.

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Advent Hope

“ … we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom. 5:4-5).

Every now and then (or perhaps more often than that), it might be hard to find hope in this world. Even in the midst of celebrating the birth of Christ, we may struggle to see the silver lining. At the height of all the revelry, it may be difficult to find a solid foothold or a ledge to hang onto. And so, Jesus joins us in the center of it all, acknowledging the dark and dreary and not requiring us to “buck up” or “get a grip.” Instead, he lies in a manger, a star over his head, and silently invites us to look up. Christ is at work in the world, despite evidence to the contrary. In this series, Advent Hope, join us as together, we take a deep breath and dare to look up.

Featured image by Patricia Hunter. Used with Permission. Source via Flickr.