Advent Devotion: Psalm 126

Psalm 126, by Kay Hollis

Psalm 126: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. 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.' The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.” (RSV)

When John was in graduate school and I was in my last year of college, we were expecting our first child's birth. Far away from all of our family and facing an unknown future, our first born son, Mark, was born one month prematurely a week before Christmas. Needless to say, we were surprised and full of joy to have a healthy baby boy. Our anxious feelings disappeared. I heard Christmas carolers singing in the lobby:  AWAY IN A MANGER... That carol spoke to us in a mighty way: after our waiting expectantly, God did great things for us! Each Christmas that carol brings tears of joy to our eyes as we remember that day many years ago. For me, the message of Psalm 126 is, “When Jesus was born, God did great things for us.”