When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them. (Psalm 126)   The joy that this Psalm speaks of, is that unique kind of deep-rooted joy that's only found among the people of God.  It's a contentment that transcends the ebbs and flows of wealth, work, and possessions.  It's a peace that flows steadily beneath the shifting situations, diagnosis, and surprises of our lives.  It is a hope that's anchored, unmoving in the bedrock of God's promises.  A trust that can bring a smile, a laugh—even a song—in the darkest of valleys.  That's joy.  A fruit of the Spirit, a gift of God. According to the psalm, joy arises from past memory, gives a solid place to stand in the present, and a hopeful picture for the future.  The past actions of God, when "the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion" in the words of the psalm, or when Jesus lived, died, and rose again for us in the Christian story are the place where our joy is anchored.  Because of what God has done in forgiving us, setting us free, and offering us life in abundance through Christ, we are a people of joy. Knowing what God has done in the past also anchors our future.  We hold a hope of a world renewed: all pain and tears wiped away in a new heaven and a new earth where peace reigns, disease disappears, and all relationships are set right.  It is a place and time, in other words, of deep joy and gladness in the presence of God.    Therefore, when trouble or heartache strike, we can pray with the psalm: "restore our fortunes, Lord."  It is a way of praying "on earth as it is in heaven."  A prayer that asks God to make the joy we have known in the past and the joy we await in the future complete even in this present moment.  This sure past and future hope shape other aspects of how we live too.  Many look for happiness in relationship, but we find ourselves loved perfectly and completely by God in Christ already and therefore able to love.  Many look for happiness in a party, but we find ourselves invited to a wedding feast.  Many look for happiness in entertainment, but we find our real life in God filled with better promises and a better story.  There is a steadiness to this joy that we find in God then.  We are daughters and sons, adopted into God's family and belonging to Him.  Our life is no longer built by our own achievements, but rather is anchored in the life He has won for us.  Our deepest cravings and yearnings in life find satisfaction in the one who grants to us abundant life, salvation, and nourishment, all without money and without cost.  And we know that even in times of heartache and pain, there remains a solid hope to look forward to.  God's work is not yet complete and what we see is not all there is.  For even "those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy."      

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