Those who sow in tears will reap in shouts of joy. Psalm 126:5 ESV
Life is a rollercoaster. Anyone who has been living long enough has likely experience many different seasons: seasons of joy, seasons of pain, seasons of waiting, seasons of confusion, seasons of confidence.
Early in 2020, I was at one of my lowest points.
My husband and I had, over the last 3 years, experienced much pain, loss, testing. And to be honest, I was at my wits end. I honestly didn’t know if I could fight anymore. If you know me personally, you know that I’m generally a very composed person who doesn’t easily show her emotions. I’m not a huge cryer. I’m often very much in control. But as I was driving home one day, I lost it. Ugly crying. I started praying to God, asking him how he could let this happen to us? Honestly, I felt betrayed. I started asking all of the questions that, if each of us are honest with ourselves, we all as believers ask in times when what we know about God doesn’t seem to line up with what we are seeing play out in our lives.
I was crying so much, I had to pull over. It was time to cry it out in the presence of God.
And in the middle of my tears, clear as day, I felt the Holy Spirit speak a verse to me.
Those who sow in tears will reap in shouts of joy. Psalm 126:5 ESV
I had never memorized this verse. In fact, I don’t even consciously remember reading it. But my Spirit knew it. It was a subtle reminder of the power of reading God’s word. At some point during my personal bible study, I had come across this verse, and the Holy Spirit kept the verse hidden in my heart for a time such as this- a time when I needed to hear God’s voice the most.
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
I felt an immediate shift.
I knew that was God’s promise to me. That if I continued to sow, even through my pain and tears, that eventually, in His timing and His way, I would reap with joy. Even to this day, this verse is a powerful, grounding reminder to me. It doesn’t matter what I am going through, as long as I keep sowing, I will reap what I sow.
This is a powerful concept that is seen often in scripture- sowing and reaping. I did a quick Google search, and found an article with 100 different biblical references to the concept of sowing and reaping.
So, what exactly does it mean to “sow in tears”?
Every action is a seed. Every thought, every decision has the power to cultivate a harvest. We, however, choose what types of seeds are sown. And it doesn’t take a big seed to develop into a harvest. The Bible says that faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains!
In a difficult season, there are traps people tend to fall into.
- Isolation
- Unhealthy seeds.
If your response to your difficult season is isolation, it is likely that you will not be planting any seeds at all.
To sow in tears means to go against everything your flesh wants you to do during a difficult time: Isolation, withdrawal, resenting, jealousy etc. Those seeds are the seeds that your flesh wants you to sow in a season of tears. However, if you choose to cultivate those seeds, your harvest will look much different.
Everyone’s flesh is going to pull them in a direction when they are in a difficult season. What that is will look different from person to person. However, there are some ways to sow that we can all lean into to not give our flesh the opportunity to reap the joy of the Lord that comes from sowing in tears.
1. Worship
No matter what season we find ourselves in, we ALWAYS have a reason to worship. Because the God we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So that means even if it seems that our circumstances don’t seem to line up with what we know to be true about God, we can still worship Him, because we know that his Word is true! His word says that he is faithful, kind, slow to anger, abounding in love. That he works all things for the good of those who love him. That He always keeps his promises. I could literally write 10,000 blog posts with all of the reasons why, in EVERY season of life, God deserves our worship. And our worship is a seed. When you are in a season of tears, don’t let that draw you away from your worship with God: It should draw you near! Besides, God says that he collects our tears in a bottle. Not one tear that you shed during this season is missed by God. Continue to sow seeds of worship.
2. Serve
Serving others is another thing that is not natural in a difficult season. We are so focused on how we feel, it is often hard to put others first. But Jesus shows us the example, in becoming the ultimate servant for others in the most difficult moments of his life. While you are in a difficult season,
3. Honor
This is one of my favorite ways to sow, but it is one of the most difficult. An amazing way to sow in tears is to go out of your way to honor people who are walking in what you desire to have. Pray for them. Honor them with your time and kindness. Honor them with a gift (if appropriate). Do everything you can to fight against the jealousy and resentment within yourself that your flesh pulls on by seeing someone walk in something you desperately want. These are seeds that will reap a harvest of joy!
4. Trust
Continue to grow in your trust. Something about a difficult season reveals God’s character in a way that good seasons don’t have the ability to. This is a time to grow in your trust of the Lord. In times where what you see doesn’t line up with what you know, the substance of your faith will be put to the test. Do I believe, even when I don’t see? Do I trust, even when I don’t understand? We have so many examples in scripture of people who found themselves in these situations. Read them. Study them. God gave us those stories for a reason– every person of faith will walk through a time of testing. But continue to sow seeds of trust in the One who holds it all.
You. Will. Reap.
Reflection: In what areas of my life am I sowing seeds that will reap an unhealthy harvest?
Application: How can I sow seeds, even in tears, that will reap a harvest of joy?
