SOUNDING OUT:
God Hath Done Great Things For Us!
There is nothing ‘too
hard” for God. He does whatever is necessary to deliver His
people. There is nothing beyond His power and providence. We expect
Him to work in a mighty way in the lives of His people.
Psalm 126:1:
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion,
we were like them that dream.
How strange that God’s people
would be surprised when God delivers with His mighty hand. When
God turned the captivity of His people, they could hardly believe
it. It was almost too good to be true. They had lived so long
under the oppression that they had almost given up hope. Now it
was as if they wondered, “Could it indeed be real?”
God turned their sorrow into rejoicing. The time in captivity
is not as important as the deliverance from the captivity. “When”
deals with time. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred maketh
the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.”
We should never give up hope; so what if it takes longer than
we would like. We should not dwell on the length or misery of
the captivity, but rather rejoice when the deliverance comes.
Christians, who dwell more upon what they have gone through
than upon what God has done for them, rob themselves of the joy
of living. Enduring difficult situations is seldom fun, but the
end of the captivity is always a cause for rejoicing. What is
our impression of life? Is it continual conflicts, deep afflictions,
and sad adversities? Or, is it a continual feast upon the great
things God has done for us?
Psalm 126:2:
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and
our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The
LORD hath done great things for them.
“Then” is another word
that deals with time. It refers back to verse one. Look at what
happened when God turned the captivity of His people. First let’s
note the response of God’s believing people: “our
[plural] mouth [singular]” and “our [plural] tongue
[singular].” The people responded unanimously with laughter
and singing. It was as if they had one mouth and one tongue. They
were united in their rejoicing. The pain of the captivity was
swallowed up by the elation of God’s mighty power working
on their behalf.
Next, let’s note the response of the unbelieving
heathen: “The Lord hath done great things for them.”
Note specifically:
Who got the glory? The
Lord.
“hath done:” They recognized it was
not by chance. God worked deliberately and completely.
“great things:” They recognized that
it was not just common or ordinary things that God did.
“for them:” They recognized that
God moved on their behalf.
Then verse three begins like verse
two ends. This time it is God’s people declaring, “The
Lord hath done great things for us.” (That’s
the figure anadiplosis.) God’s people are the “apple
of His eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Zechariah 2:8).
What was the end result? God’s people were glad. They spoke
of it, and it changed their attitude or disposition. Psalm 40
echoes similar sentiments.
Psalm 40:1-5:
I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and
heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear,
and shall trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is that man that maketh
the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as
turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful
works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward:
they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare
and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
We should speak of God’s wonderful
works. Yes, we may endure trials, but we are delivered out of
them (II Timothy 3:11; 4:17,18). Yes, we have our weaknesses and
shortcomings, but we also have an all-sufficient Savior, who works
on our behalf and helps us overcome our frailties. God can turn
any captivity. Remember how God turned the captivity of Job?
If we remember and recount the difficulties we have been
through, let us not forget that we have been through them safely
and profitably. We have not remained in captivity. He has turned
our sorrow to rejoicing. The deeper our troubles have been, the
louder our thanks to God should be. He has led us through all,
and preserved us until now. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “Our
griefs cannot mar the melody of our praise, we reckon them to
be the bass part of our life’s song,”
REMEMBER: “The Lord hath done
great things for us, whereof we are glad.”
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