Psalm 126:5-6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him”.
Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning! Psa 30:5
God has a very unique harvest that many looking from the outside in do not understand. I have had the distinct pleasure of attending the funerals of wonderful saints of God where in the midst of great sorrow and tears there was an amazing amount of joy that was unspeakable and full of glory.
Trials and tribulations are a necessary part of a Christian’s journey in life which brings about a harvest of joy that cannot be explained. Tears are the language of the heart and while brokenness is not necessarily something we look forward to in life, they that sow in tears shall reap in joy! The joy of the Lord is our spiritual strength just as food is provides strength to our bodies.
Is it no wonder then that while going forth weeping bearing the precious seed of God’s word that the end result is rejoicing when the harvest is brought forth as a result? Peter said that we have been given exceeding great and precious promises that allows us to be partakers of God’s divine nature while escaping the corruption that is in the world through lust.
When we receive the word of God sown in our hearts through the preaching of the word we rejoice when that word, coupled with the Spirit of God, sets us free from the sin and corruption that is in the world. Repentance typically involves the turning away from those things which we know are sinful and wrong and many times involves a sorrowful expression of tears in the process. When our repentance affects us that deeply, it opens us up for the indwelling Spirit of God to fill us within. Following repentance, water baptism in the precious name of Jesus washes our sins away.
There is a great feeling associated with knowing that God has forgiven us and cleansed us from all of our unrighteousness. While this is a part of the wonderful experience of salvation that typically involves tears, there is one more part of the equation that is even greater than the feeling of forgiveness.
There is a harvest of joy that comes when God fills us with the baptism of the Holy Ghost! This experience began on the day of Pentecost as recorded by the beloved physician Luke in Acts 2:1-4. The promise of the Father came into an upper room and filled all that were gathered together praying as Jesus had instructed them to do. The beautiful experience could not be contained to that room as it spilled out into the streets. Before the day was ended, about 3000 souls would experience the same joy of being filled with the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God.
There is only one thing more beautiful and joyful than finding forgiveness and receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost ourselves; it is in being a part of seeing others receive the same experience. Everyone rejoices when a baby is born and so it is when individuals are born again of the water and Spirit just like the bible says in the gospel of John.
I want to encourage everyone to go forth weeping bearing precious seed, the word of God, and we will reap in the harvest of joy while rejoicing over what God will do!
God’s blessings to all
Pastor Ken Winkler