◄ What Does Psalm 126:3 Mean? ►

The LORD has done great things for us; We are glad.

Psalm 126:3(NASB)

Verse of the Day

Imagine your country being conquered, your homes destroyed, your possessions taken, and you, along with every member of your family, being led away captive into a foreign land for 70 years. But this is what happened to the nation of Israel as a result of their disobedience towards God and their gross apostasy.

After seventy years of captivity in Babylon, the day had at last arrived when the Lord brought those who had been made captive, back to the holy city of Jerusalem. The people felt as if they were in a dream, and Psalm 126 gives a peep into the hearts of Jewish men and women who along with their parents and grandparents had been forced to experience this terrible time of great trouble.

Their mouths were filled with laughter and their tongues rejoiced exceedingly when a proclamation was made that they were to return to Israel, to rebuild the city of their ancestors, and to restore the Temple of God, which had been destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar so many decades before.

It was Cyrus, the king of Persia, who decreed that the captives could return to their land. No doubt, with every passing generation they must have wondered if they would ever see their beloved country again. But God in His grace had determined that Cyrus would be the man that He would use to restore His people to the land that He gave to their forefathers forever.

No wonder that it was said among the nations: "The Lord has done great things for them." History itself testified to the pagan nations that the God of the Hebrews intervenes in miraculous ways on behalf of His people Israel. And once again after 70 years of captivity, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob moved on behalf of His people Israel, to restore them to Himself and their Promised Land, for He is a good and faithful God Whose Word endures from one generation to another.

No surprise that the exiles rejoiced and sang: "The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy." Cyrus may have been the king who issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, but it was God Who moved the heart of this man to make His prophetic proclamation to restore and rebuild the holy city of God and to restore the children of Israel to the glorious land of their inheritance.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are a God that keeps Your promises to me, even when I prove faithless. I praise You for the exceedingly great things that You have done for me. I pray for the nation of Israel whom You have returned to the land You gave them. Lord, I pray that their partial blindness will be lifted and that they will once again be able to sing this joyful Psalm: "The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad." Thank You, in Jesus’ name, AMEN.