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Title: Do It Again, Lord! - Psalm 126
Series: David’s Prayer Journal

Psalm 126:1-6 ESV
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 they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.

Overview and Context:

This Psalm 126 is known as a Psalm of Ascent.
The Songs of Ascent are a special group of psalms comprising Psalms 120—134. The city of Jerusalem is situated on a high hill. Jews traveling to Jerusalem for one of the three main annual Jewish festivals traditionally sang these songs on the “ascent” or the uphill road to the city. According to some traditions, the Jewish priests also sang some of these Songs of Ascent as they walked up the steps to the temple in Jerusalem.
Each of the psalms in this collection begins with the title “A Song of Ascents.” While perhaps they were not originally composed for this purpose, these psalms were later grouped together for use in traveling toward Jerusalem for the yearly Jewish festivals

[CREDIT: https://www.gotquestions.org/Songs-of-Ascent.html]

Remember How God Has Helped You in the Past. (Vss 1-3)

Ezra 1:1-4 ESV
1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing:

2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Guard against spiritual amnesia (Joshua 4 - stones)
- Joshua 3; God did a miracle and made it so the people of God could cross the Jordan..in Joshua 4 the Lord instructs Joshua to take 12 stones out of middle of where the Jordan was flowing and to pile them where they were going to stay that night at Gilgal.

+ Think back - Psalm 77:12 - “I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.”
+ Thank God - Psalm 9:1 - “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds”
+ Tell Others - Joshua 4:21-24 - “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground. 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”


Cry Out to Him to Do It Again (Vss. 4-6)

In verse 4 the writer of this Psalm asks God to restore them again….

Verse 4 says: 4 “Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb!”

This is the equivalent of them saying “Do it again, Lord”. Restore and revive us again. Make us sing for joy again!
** Sometimes God Does Restoring and Reviving Work Instantly (Revival)

“like streams in the Negeb” brings up an imagery of the dry desert that then experiences the rain and practically makes flowers and grass spring up overnight.
Martin Lloyd-Jones said that revival is something only God can do. He is quoted as saying “God does more in 5 minutes than man did in the previous 10 years.”
If you are lacking the joy of the Lord you once had.
If you were once spiritually on fire and now feel complacent and lethargic.
… cry out to God to revive your soul. Ask him to renew you and restore you.

We can and should pray this as a church.
Asking the Lord to renew and revive our church where it needs it.
That our passion for Him and for the lost would be evident.
We can’t control or manipulate God into doing this.
But we can humbly come to Him and ask and cry out to Him for it.

** Sometimes God Does Restoring and Reviving Work Is Done Over Time

Where verse 4 looks for God to do this sudden change and renewal, verses 5 and 6 seem to point to God bringing his renewal and restoration over time as we faithfully serve Him…

5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
As the Psalmist thinks back to their time in Babylonian captivity and remembers they wept but then 70 years later their mouths were filled with laughter and songs of God’s faithfulness!

That full restoration of God’s people took 70 years.
That took many tears and years of sowing and remaining faithful to God even in a foreign land.


If you are in need of personal renewal and spiritual restoration, have you WEPT over your sin?
Have you prayed in tears for those whom you love who are not yet believers?

In verses 4 through 6 we see
+Pray for God’s restoration and blessing on your life (vs 4)
Know that God will turn your sorrow into joy (vs 5: “SHALL reap shouts of joy”
Continue in the works of God. (Vs 6: “bearing the seed for sowing”)