Devotion 16 December 2025

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

Psalm 126 v3

READING: Psalm 126

This is one of the group of Psalms known as songs of ascent, or pilgrimage. These were Psalms that were sung as the people walked up to the Temple. This particular psalm also describes the returning exiles who came home to Jerusalem after years away. For them, the procession had been a long and arduous journey, but it finally brought them to the place of worship. 

At the moment, we are coming to the end of a year which for many us has felt like a long and arduous journey, filled with tension and anxiety. At the same time we are journeying through Advent towards the joyful worship celebration of Christmas. 

The Psalmist reminds us to focus on the good as we look back: “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.” (v3)

He reminds us that if we remain solid in our faith and hopeful in God’s grace, that all will be well. Even in our city lives, we can identify with the resilience that the ancient farmers showed so long ago when they held the faith and kept working through their bad times: “Those who sow with tears, will reap with songs of joy.”

As we prepare for Christmas, we are reminded of John the Baptist, who was a “voice crying in the wilderness”, preparing the way for the coming of the Lord (John 1:23). Perhaps, this year, when so many are living in despair about the past and gloom about the future, we are called to be ‘filled with joy’ as we act out our hope in God’s grace. We may not go about preaching as John did, but in our actions and lives we can quietly witness to the powerful hope of our faith, and, like the angels, bring “glad tidings of comfort and joy” to those around us.

Prayer

Lord God, our faith is in Your grace, our hope is in You, Lord, and You give us joy in place of sorrow and fear. You are our God and we are Your people and we rest safe in Your hands. Amen