Each one of us at some point in our lives will have the fun and “peachyness” of life mixed up a little and experience - as John Piper would say - a 'blue funk'; a trial or trials of some sort. Throughout the Bible and History, people have struggled and have shed tears. One only has to think
of Job and his story. Even Jesus wept and experienced trial and tribulation! Trouble is part of this fallen world.

Psalm 126:5 says “May those who sow in tears, reap with shouts of joy”. Why would the Psalmist be so sure that one would be shedding tears when sowing? The act of sowing seed in itself is not a sorrowful occasion surely?
If I think of the joyful times I have had in simply planting a seed and watching it slowly grow, I can't help but think that the Psalmist must have been a little bit confused here. Sowing seed is not a sad thing to me, I realise though that the act of sowing in itself is not what he is talking about. If farmers want a harvest and subsequently food for the winter, they have to sow. Whether they have much or little seed, they have to sow. Whether they know if the seed will bring in a bountiful harvest or not, they have to sow. The crops won't mysteriously grow themselves if the farmer is worried and grief-stricken with trouble. The work must still be done.

Recently tragedy struck my family, my life in general. I lost someone very dear to me. The thought of the earth swallowing me up was rather comforting. That life has to carry on amidst my trouble is ghastly. But as with a farmer faithfully sowing his only seed left with the hopes of bringing in a harvest, so my life has to go on. The trouble I am facing now will not simply allow my life to stop dead in its tracks while I wait for it to pass. There's work to be done and “sowing is simply the work that has to be done even when there are things in life that make us cry”

But why should the farmer keep sowing his seed? What drives us to keep on going?

In John 16:33, Jesus says “…In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So then when we read Psalm 126:6 “He that goes forth weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” we think not only of the farmer who has to sow the seed despite difficult circumstances and is guaranteed a joyful harvest in this world but we can think of it in a more spiritual sense too. Whoever believes in Christ -and decides to cultivate a relationship with him DESPITE their circumstance- is guaranteed eternal life which ultimately is something DEFINITELY worth joyfully shouting for!

I would want to run from Jesus - as far as I could - if I did not have the assurance that sowing through these tears of mine would reap a harvest of joy. Why? Because I have found that facing Him does not take my trouble away from me (which we sometimes expect it should). It HELPS me DEAL with it despite how painful it is. Having an ongoing relationship with Jesus helps me to continue sowing because He's the only one who FULLY knows what it means to have experienced pain but at the same time ultimate joy by having OVERCOME the world and its troubles.

The ground has to be moved sometimes to realize a harvest. Life for me is rough right now, I miss that someone dear to me terribly but my resolve is that when the tears come (and they do!) I will allow them to come and I will persevere. Because I have a Greater Hope, that the mere act of bearing forth seed WILL bring in a harvest of blessing (see Gal 3:6). Because of this, I will be able to POINT to the ONE who my shouts of joy should give GLORY and HONOUR to...

That's way more precious than
what ANY earth-shattering trouble
can -or will ever- discourage me
with in this world.