Trusting God Between the Tears and the Triumph

Reading of the Word

Psalm 126:1–6 NASB 2020

When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; We are joyful. Restore our fortunes, Lord, As the streams in the South. Those who sow in tears shall harvest with joyful shouting. One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord, Just as You restored Your people and filled their mouths with laughter, restore us now through Your Word. Speak joy into our sorrow, hope into our waiting, and faith into our hearts. May we hear, believe, and be changed.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

Illustration: Like a Dream

Have you ever woken up from a dream so vivid, so full of joy, that for a moment you thought it was real? Everything was right again—pain gone, relationships healed, burdens lifted. And for that brief moment, your heart rested in peace… until reality set back in.

That’s what the people of Israel felt in Psalm 126 when God brought them back from exile: “We were like those who dream.” It felt too good to be true—but it was real. God had moved. God had delivered. God had restored.

This psalm is for anyone caught between past joy and present struggle. When heaven feels silent, and hope seems distant—Psalm 126 reminds us: the same God who brought joy before will do it again. His timing is perfect. Our role is to trust Him in the tension.

Point 1: Remember God’s Past Faithfulness

Psalm 126:1–3

The psalmist begins with awe and wonder—“When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like those who dream.” Once citizens of Jerusalem, their sin had made them exiles. But after years in Babylon, God brought them home.

And their joy was overwhelming. It felt like a dream come true—so unexpected, so good, they could hardly believe it was real. Yet it was. God had moved. God had delivered. God had restored.

Job 8:21 NASB 2020

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, And your lips with joyful shouting.

They didn’t take credit. This wasn’t about what they had done—it was a collective miracle. God did this for His people. And the watching world noticed: “The Lord has done great things for them.”

And that’s a reminder for us: we must put self to the side and focus on the bigger picture. God is writing a story that’s larger than our own lives. When we celebrate what He’s doing in the whole community, we begin to see His glory more clearly—and our joy becomes even greater.

God rescued us from the judgment our sin deserved and broke the power of death. He made a way to restore our relationship with Him—setting us free and making us right with God once again.

God returns to His people when they return to Him.

Deuteronomy 30:2–3 NASB 2020

and you return to the Lord your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul in accordance with everything that I am commanding you today, you and your sons, then the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.

Even the surrounding nations took notice and couldn’t deny it: “The Lord has done great things for them.” Nothing is more powerful than when those who don’t believe—those with no faith in God—witness His hand at work and are moved to declare, “Surely, the Lord has done great things for His people.” Their deliverance was so undeniable, even the heathen (pagans) were in awe.

Even Mary echoed these words in her Magnificat:

Luke 1:49 NASB 2020

“For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name.

LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE! We see it. We feel it. We know it. We proclaim it.

He healed us

Renewed our minds

Rescued us

Saved our souls

Restored what was broken

Walks with us

Provides for every need

He works in us—and through us—for His glory.

How can we stay silent? The Lord has done great things for us—and we are filled with joy! (Psalm 126:3)

 Illustration: Just as God brought joy and restoration to Zion, He can bring joy and restoration to our lives.

💡 Application: What has God done in your life that still brings you joy? Let that memory strengthen your trust today.

→ Let past joy fuel present faith.

Point 2: Be Honest About Present Struggles

Psalm 126:4

The joy that brought them home quickly turned to reality.

The return wasn’t what they had imagined. The land was broken. Jerusalem and the Temple lay in ruins. The people were scattered. What they came back to fell far short of what they had hoped for. Their dreams collided with a harsh reality.

“Restore our fortunes, Lord” reveals the gap between expectation and experience.

They expected everything to be the same. But God wasn’t taking them back to the old—He was leading them into something new.

If everything had stayed the same, they might’ve slipped back into old ways. Instead, God was rebuilding their land and their hearts to move His salvation plan forward. This restoration wasn’t about the past—it was about God’s future.

When God starts a work, we must pray for Him to finish it. “Do it again, Lord.”

And that must be our daily prayer. So many around us are still held captive—trapped by sin, bound by the enemy, and burdened by things that are slowly destroying them.

Our work isn’t done as long as our hearts are beating and our lungs are breathing. Every moment you’re here, God has a purpose. He’s not finished with you yet!

Illustration: A Fixer-Upper Home You pray for a home and receive the keys—answered prayer! But when you walk in, it needs work: peeling paint, broken pipes, overgrown yard. It’s yours… but it still needs restoration. That’s often how God answers. The blessing is real—but the rebuilding has just begun.

This is a prayer from the in-between—caught between the joy of what God has done and the longing for what is yet to come.

Israel also knew dry seasons. The southern desert of Judah was dry for much of the year—but when the rains came, streams overflowed. In the same way, the Holy Spirit can turn our driest places into rivers of renewal.

God did the extraordinary—He brought streams in the desert and filled the land with returning captives.

We pray for that same flood of grace today—for scorched hearts to become gardens of life. When God is in it, even the dead things can rise again.

Let the past remind you of what’s been missed, but let the present stir your expectation. Don’t grow complacent—God still does the impossible.

Ephesians 3:20 NASB 2020

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,

We live in a world filled with tears, stress, tension, despair, and suffering. But in our affliction, we cry out to God—trusting that He can turn our sorrow into joy, our tears into shouts of praise. What breaks us now can become a blessing in His hands.

Matthew 5:4 NASB 2020

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Psalm 30:11 NASB 2020

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy,

God gives us consolation—true comfort that meets us right in the middle of our circumstances. When we walk with Christ, even in sorrow, His presence brings peace. He gives us joy when the world expects mourning, and hope when everything feels lost.

💡 Application: Don’t hide the tension. Pray with the same faith you used to praise. Trust that God is working, even when it still feels broken.

→ “Trust God even when reality disappoints.”

Point 3: Trust God’s Process and Timing

Psalm 126:5–6

The psalm ends with a promise rooted in process—sowing in tears leads to reaping in joy.

Sowing is hard work. Sowing in tears is even harder. But it’s not wasted. It’s an act of faith. God sees every tear, and He promises joy is coming.

Illustration: Cooking with Perfect Timing

Cooking and baking are both activities that require perfect timing. If you take food out too early, it’s raw. Leave it in too long, and it’s burnt. Timing is everything—and so it is with God. His timing is perfect, even when it feels completely off to us.

These verses use the imagery of farming to teach us about faith. Growth doesn’t happen overnight. Farming takes time, patience, and trust. In the same way, trusting God is like planting seeds—what He’s doing beneath the surface may be unseen now, but in time, it will bear fruit.

The soil is the church. And when soil is neglected for too long, it becomes hard, dry, and difficult to work with. Planting seeds in it is tough. Growth feels slow. But with persistence, care, and faithfulness, the harvest will come.

Illustration: Dreaming of Home A missionary returns home after decades overseas. At the airport, a celebrity is welcomed with cheers. The missionary, however, is met with silence. Disheartened, he prays, “God, where’s my welcome?” And God whispers, “You’re not home yet.”

Heaven is our home. And when we arrive, the joy won’t feel like a dream—it will be our eternal reality.

What a beautiful foretaste of heaven we see in this psalm today!

What do we sow in tears?

Good Works – Serving even when weary

Mercy – Offering grace when it’s hard

Peace – Choosing unity in conflict

The Gospel – Planting truth where there’s resistance

Hope – Holding on when others give up

These are seeds watered with tears—but destined for joy. You may never see the full fruit here, but heaven will reveal the lives you touched.

Trusting God means staying faithful—even when the harvest hasn’t come. Every tear, every step of obedience, is a seed planted in faith. And one day, in God’s perfect time, it will bloom into joy.

It’s not easy now, but it will be worth it—Jesus has already won.

💡 Application: What are you sowing in tears right now? Keep planting. Keep praying. Trust that joy is on its way—even if you can’t see it yet.

→ Tears today, joy tomorrow—God is not done.

This Week’s Takeaway: God works in His own time—and we are called to trust Him in the in-between.

Conclusion

[Pause briefly — invite quiet reflection.]

Where are you sowing in tears right now? What part of your life still feels like exile, like waiting?

Psalm 126 promises: Those who sow in tears will reap with joy. Don’t quit sowing. Don’t give up trusting. The God who restored His people is still restoring today.

And one day, we’ll wake up—not from a dream—but into a forever reality where joy never ends.

Psalm 30:5 NASB 2020

Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

Until that morning comes, keep sowing in faith—because joy is coming.

Prayer After Sermon

Heavenly Father, Thank You for speaking to us through Your Word. Like Israel, we remember how You’ve restored and brought joy before—and we trust You to do it again.

Even in seasons of waiting and sorrow, help us keep planting in faith. Give us strength to walk in hope, trusting that joy is coming.

May we leave here carrying seeds of Your love, ready to plant them wherever You send us.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Charge

Go now, sowing in faith and trusting in God’s timing. Even in tears, hold on to hope—joy is coming. Live with confidence, because the God who restores is still at work in you.

Benediction

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He shine His face upon you and give you peace. And may joy rise in your soul as you walk in His grace.

Go in the peace and joy of Christ. Amen.