...restoration and forgiveness...

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

 2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, 

and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, 

‘The Lord has done great things for them.’

 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.

 4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.

 5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

 6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves” Psalm 126.

The bible is filled with stories about Israel remembering!

Remembering dead bodies when the angel of death flew overhead.

Remembering the long, dusty journey across the desert.

Remembering 70 years later, the daytime heat and the chilly nights. 

At last, you reach a great city of Jerusalem where you’re treated as curiosities.

Eventually the little clusters of families find somewhere to live, doing their best to remember, to keep the commandments and forge strong bonds.

Remembering the years that followed: praying, fasting, studying, growing up, marrying, having children, still tasting the bitterness and wondering why you bother going on hoping. Everybody knows that exiles don’t return. The dream is over.

Now your are old, and yet it’s happened. A new king with a new policy. 

The Judeans are to go home! They must rebuild their Temple! This is amazing! The Lord has visited his people!

In every generation we experience the greatness of God! 

Restoration. Forgiveness. New starts. These are the greatest moments in the world, even if you have to wait a lifetime for them to come.

And the Psalms help us turn the corner every generation.

“Do it again, gracious Lord: you brought us back. It was impossible but you did it; now turn things around again for us.”

“…we go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,” help us “come home with shouts of joy.”

Dear friends, if you need a restoration and forgiveness from the Lord, and who among us doesn't, then today is a good day to remember all the restorations and forgiveness from your past, and humble ask Lord to do a great thing for you once again!

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,

have mercy on me a sinner.