“Those who sow their tears as seeds will reap a harvest with joyful shouts of glee.”Psalms 126:5 TPT

This is a verse I have known and loved for many years, but this translation put a slightly new slant on it for me. 

Other versions say those that ‘sow in tears’, which has always given me the image of one sowing seed while tears flow. In this version we see that the tears themselves become the seeds and there can be growth that comes as a result of that time of weeping that we would not otherwise have known. 

In life there are seasons of pain that we all face. Some pain is more visible, and often others around us will do their best to bring comfort and love. Some pain is more private. There are things we face that can be so painful, that we just can’t see a way through at that particular point. Even our loved ones can seem very far away, not understanding or recognising how deeply we suffer. 

Such times can feel very lonely. Yet it’s in these times, when we feel most alone in our suffering, that we have an opportunity to find Christ deeply. We serve a Saviour who is no stranger to suffering, and who knows us every inch of us. There’s no need to try and explain our pain, He already knows; and He has already made provision for us.

Joy and ‘shouts of glee’ can feel very far away when we suffer, but joy runs so much more deeply than circumstantial happiness. The depth of our joy is found in Christ, and the knowledge He has paid the ultimate price for each one of us that we may be forgiven, and made free in Him.

Friend, if you find yourself in the valley of suffering at this time, can I reassure you that He will bring you through if you let Him.  He is the only one sees every tear you shed, and the only one who can bring true healing to your soul. He makes beauty from ashes and brings peace that goes far beyond the circumstances you find yourself in. Trust Him, and allow yourself to lean utterly upon Him. The day of harvest will come, and He will fill your mouth with shouts of glee. 

What a wonderful Saviour we have, how safe to trust Him and how blessed we are that we need never walk one single step alone. He is underneath and all around us at every point, and no circumstance or pain can ever remove us from His hand. 

All we have to do is abide in Him. Go on standing and He will do the rest. He will fight for you and bring you through. You will come out of your wilderness, leaning on your beloved Christ and rejoicing in who He is and all that He has done for you. Blessed be His name.