Lyrics
Give me Your eyes to see
Give me a song to sing
Give me Your heart to know
That though I sow in tears
Joy will come for me
Verse
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5–6
Word
This psalm is one of the fifteen songs of ascents, specifically for the Israelites who were returning home to Jerusalem after decades of exile and captivity. It starts off in celebration and gratitude for God’s restoration and promise-keeping faithfulness to His people. But the psalmist knew that all the shouts of joy did not spring up out of nowhere. Behind that bountiful harvest were seventy long years of suffering and crying out to God.
If you’re into gardening, you’ve probably heard of the old trick where gardeners soak their seeds in water before planting. The moisture around the seed tells it that it’s now safe to grow, and even speeds up the process of its growth.
Even though this whole process takes time, we can’t deny that we want that harvest now. Nobody wants to soak their seeds in tears. Nobody wants to wait without knowing exactly when joy will come. But because He who promised is faithful, we can wait for the fulfillment of His word—even if we have to stutter through countless tear-soaked prayers to see it.
Even when we’ve cried our eyes dry, we can run to the Man of Sorrows who is close to the brokenhearted. Jesus Christ sowed His restorative work in blood and tears in the garden of Gethsemane, was dead and buried for three days, and on the third day rose again to give us new life and an inexpressible, glorious joy.
Whatever it is you’re crying out to Him for, He knows and He sees. Your tears are not shed in vain. Keep sowing, keep weeping. Joy is coming.
Application
1. What is something you’ve been praying long and hard for but still has not come? What will you do as you wait in hope?
2. Identify and list as many attributes of God as you can, like love, good, truthful, wise, and others.
Now ask yourself, can you trust a God who is everything you’ve just listed?
Download PDF version: Sow In Tears Song Devo