WEBVTT

00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:05.379
This is your daily reminder. God has not run

00:00:05.379 --> 00:00:09.199
out of mercy, not for you, not today. Welcome

00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:12.460
to the New Mercies Podcast. Welcome back, February

00:00:12.460 --> 00:00:17.480
the 28th. Today's reading in our journey together

00:00:17.480 --> 00:00:22.500
is in Psalm 126. Now, if you remember, maybe

00:00:22.500 --> 00:00:25.640
it was last week, I think, Psalm 127 we read.

00:00:25.899 --> 00:00:27.940
And I explained a little bit about that psalm

00:00:27.940 --> 00:00:31.269
where it was... packaged in the Psalms. It is

00:00:31.269 --> 00:00:34.890
in the Psalms of Ascent or the Psalms of Degrees

00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.950
or the Psalms of Steps, depending on how maybe

00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:40.329
your Bible would translate that. But ultimately,

00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:43.469
there are 15 Psalms that are packaged in this

00:00:43.469 --> 00:00:47.729
that are small, and they are used in the Hebrew

00:00:47.729 --> 00:00:51.740
hymn book or the book of Psalms as... traveling

00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:55.240
Psalms or Psalms of degrees that they grow as

00:00:55.240 --> 00:00:58.200
you walk up steps to the temple or as you travel

00:00:58.200 --> 00:01:01.380
closer to the Lord, right? Psalm 127 was in the

00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:03.740
middle of those. Psalm 126, though, is our reading

00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.060
today, and I'm going to end up reading the whole

00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:08.599
Psalm, but I want to share a little bit about

00:01:08.599 --> 00:01:11.849
it. I don't want to jump in too much and give

00:01:11.849 --> 00:01:13.510
you a full commentary on it. I encourage you

00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:16.530
to read it today. Maybe read it from the perspective

00:01:16.530 --> 00:01:18.709
in which we saw it written. But I do want to

00:01:18.709 --> 00:01:20.489
share just a little bit about the book of Psalms.

00:01:20.510 --> 00:01:23.909
The more I'm getting some feedback from our time

00:01:23.909 --> 00:01:27.150
together on the podcast, what I'm realizing is

00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:32.409
the masses have spoken, right? And you say you

00:01:32.409 --> 00:01:34.390
enjoy the idea of giving you a little bit of

00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:37.549
context of some understanding of the Scripture.

00:01:37.750 --> 00:01:39.189
So I want to kind of share a little bit. little

00:01:39.189 --> 00:01:42.189
bit. So the Psalms, specifically the Psalms of

00:01:42.189 --> 00:01:47.689
Ascent, are Psalms 120 through 134. So there's

00:01:47.689 --> 00:01:51.269
15 of them, and they are packaged together as,

00:01:51.370 --> 00:01:54.250
if you can imagine, like a road trip playlist.

00:01:54.939 --> 00:01:59.340
Whenever people would travel to Jerusalem for

00:01:59.340 --> 00:02:03.439
feasts or for Passover or for whatever, they

00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:06.439
would quote these psalms and sing these songs

00:02:06.439 --> 00:02:09.439
and proclaim these psalms together, mainly because

00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:11.599
they were short, they were easy, they were rhythmic.

00:02:11.860 --> 00:02:14.360
So they were psalms that they would sing together,

00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:16.879
psalms that they would proclaim together as they

00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:19.620
were getting closer to whatever feast or festival.

00:02:19.960 --> 00:02:23.240
It was also known that maybe they were, as they

00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:25.139
would walk up the... temple stairs, as they would

00:02:25.139 --> 00:02:27.039
take a step, they would quote the psalm and take

00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:28.879
another step and quote the psalm and take another

00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:30.960
step and quote the next one. There was 15 steps

00:02:30.960 --> 00:02:35.039
up to where the temple was. So as you think about

00:02:35.039 --> 00:02:38.340
that today, another thing I want to say is some

00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:41.120
of the psalms, I know a few people, and I know

00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:43.280
you're listening today, I know a few people that...

00:02:43.419 --> 00:02:45.300
say they don't like the Psalms because they don't

00:02:45.300 --> 00:02:47.219
understand them well. Not that they don't like

00:02:47.219 --> 00:02:49.659
them, but it's hard to grasp because it's not

00:02:49.659 --> 00:02:53.740
just a historical document, right? It's not instructive.

00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.400
It's more responsive. And part of the thing I

00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:00.759
think is pretty awesome about the Psalms is that

00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:04.159
most of them, and I won't say every one of them,

00:03:04.219 --> 00:03:07.340
but most of them are attributed to one of five

00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:10.800
time frames. All right, now get this. Of these

00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:14.379
five time frames... There's five leaders that

00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:17.419
were in office or in leadership when the five

00:03:17.419 --> 00:03:21.080
time frames kind of fell. Now, there's 150 Psalms.

00:03:21.080 --> 00:03:23.539
There's a lot of them. But the majority of them

00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:26.919
were written during one of those five times under

00:03:26.919 --> 00:03:29.939
the reign of David, under the reign of Jehoshaphat,

00:03:29.939 --> 00:03:35.000
under the reign of Josiah, Hezekiah, and Ezra.

00:03:35.060 --> 00:03:38.039
All right. So you got David, you got Jehoshaphat,

00:03:38.060 --> 00:03:43.580
Hezekiah. Ezra, and Josiah. Get this. Each of

00:03:43.580 --> 00:03:47.599
those five leaders, God had sent in each of those

00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:51.520
time frames an awakening of his people, meaning

00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:54.319
that in those five time frames were what we would

00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.879
consider revivals or awakenings among the people

00:03:57.879 --> 00:04:02.469
of God. Now, if the majority of the Psalms are

00:04:02.469 --> 00:04:06.270
attributed to those five time frames, there is

00:04:06.270 --> 00:04:08.990
something incredibly powerful about what we understand

00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:12.909
about worship. When God pours out into his people,

00:04:13.030 --> 00:04:15.110
awakens the Spirit, allows the Spirit to move,

00:04:15.150 --> 00:04:17.829
allows him to move and operate in ways that we

00:04:17.829 --> 00:04:20.990
get to see his hand at work, our response is

00:04:20.990 --> 00:04:24.470
worship. That's our response. Now, it is understood,

00:04:24.589 --> 00:04:27.699
and this is not, I can't. prove this. I can tell

00:04:27.699 --> 00:04:30.639
you why I believe this interpretation. The Psalms

00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:34.439
of Ascent, I believe, were compiled by Hezekiah.

00:04:34.779 --> 00:04:36.720
Now, that doesn't mean he wrote them. Some of

00:04:36.720 --> 00:04:38.680
them were written by David. Some were written

00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:41.540
by Solomon. But he is the one that compiled them

00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:44.000
together into this grouping. I believe there's

00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.800
some reasons for that. It doesn't really matter.

00:04:45.939 --> 00:04:47.800
What I want you to hear today, though, is Psalm

00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.920
126. through the Psalms of Ascent, sound like

00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.060
someone who has been freed from bondage, freed

00:04:54.060 --> 00:04:56.420
from some type of stronghold, some type of slavery.

00:04:56.740 --> 00:05:00.240
It is powerful. I want you to read it today or

00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:03.040
listen to it today as if you just got the best

00:05:03.040 --> 00:05:05.920
doctor's report ever, as if you just heard that

00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:09.040
your enemy has lost and you have won and you

00:05:09.040 --> 00:05:12.139
are now the victor, more than a conqueror. Listen

00:05:12.139 --> 00:05:15.389
to Psalm 126 as we read today. When the Lord

00:05:15.389 --> 00:05:18.730
restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those

00:05:18.730 --> 00:05:22.610
who dream. He said, listen, it was like a dream.

00:05:23.160 --> 00:05:26.120
We couldn't even imagine it. It was so amazing.

00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:29.360
It was like we were dreaming. Verse 2. Let me

00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:30.800
read all the way through it. Sorry, I don't want

00:05:30.800 --> 00:05:33.939
to stop again. Then our mouth was filled with

00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:37.180
laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy. And

00:05:37.180 --> 00:05:39.600
they said among the nations, the Lord has done

00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.379
great things for them. The Lord has done great

00:05:42.379 --> 00:05:46.850
things for us. We are glad. Restore our fortunes,

00:05:46.850 --> 00:05:49.910
O Lord, like the streams in the Negev. Those

00:05:49.910 --> 00:05:53.069
who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy.

00:05:53.389 --> 00:05:56.470
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for

00:05:56.470 --> 00:06:00.069
sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing

00:06:00.069 --> 00:06:03.569
his sheaves with him. This is one of the great

00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:07.930
praising Psalms. I don't know what you have gone

00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:09.970
through, what you've experienced in your life,

00:06:10.110 --> 00:06:11.990
what you've had to deal with, the circumstances

00:06:11.990 --> 00:06:13.889
that have surrounded you, but I'll tell you this.

00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:17.540
He's good to deliver. He's good to redeem. He's

00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:20.740
good to take us through. I've heard it said before,

00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:22.980
you're either going into a storm, coming out

00:06:22.980 --> 00:06:24.920
of a storm, or in the middle of a storm. One

00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:27.279
of the three things, you're either on your way

00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:29.120
into a storm, you may not know it yet, you're

00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:30.439
in the middle of it, or you're coming out of

00:06:30.439 --> 00:06:33.560
it. I think that that's a way to look at life.

00:06:33.699 --> 00:06:36.980
But I will say this, I think you're either about

00:06:36.980 --> 00:06:40.139
to see the deliverance of God, you are experiencing

00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:44.009
the deliverance of God, or it's on its way. Or

00:06:44.009 --> 00:06:46.870
it's just happened, right? It's one of those

00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:49.829
things. God is working in your life. As a believer,

00:06:50.089 --> 00:06:53.870
I have faith, I have trust that God is working

00:06:53.870 --> 00:06:57.290
in my life. I have faith, I have trust that he

00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:02.370
has restored my life, my hope that I have. He's

00:07:02.370 --> 00:07:05.149
restored that. Yes, life may be hard. Yes, this

00:07:05.149 --> 00:07:07.529
may be difficult. But there can be new streams

00:07:07.529 --> 00:07:12.079
of excitement and hope flowing in my life. This

00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:15.579
is a psalm of relief. Today, it's the end of

00:07:15.579 --> 00:07:17.579
the week. I don't know what your week has looked

00:07:17.579 --> 00:07:19.680
like. I'm not sure what all you have dealt with,

00:07:19.740 --> 00:07:21.860
but I'll tell you this. No matter what you've

00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:23.579
gone through, no matter what you're dealing with,

00:07:23.639 --> 00:07:25.560
no matter what your brain is telling you or what

00:07:25.560 --> 00:07:28.519
your struggle has been or what lies you've listened

00:07:28.519 --> 00:07:34.079
to this week, He is good. He's so good that it

00:07:34.079 --> 00:07:38.600
doesn't even seem real. Can you believe God loves

00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.779
you so much that he sent his only son to die

00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:44.060
for you so that he can have you in his family?

00:07:44.220 --> 00:07:47.939
Can you believe that? It is so crazy. It is so

00:07:47.939 --> 00:07:51.879
amazing. As I look and I hear and I read, sometimes

00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:54.480
we need to hear the reason I love the church

00:07:54.480 --> 00:07:56.740
body so much. We're gathering together tomorrow.

00:07:57.500 --> 00:08:00.360
As we gather together, we're going to hear testimony

00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.879
of people within our church body, whether it's

00:08:03.879 --> 00:08:06.040
in small groups, whether it's sitting across

00:08:06.040 --> 00:08:09.680
the pew or wherever, sitting across the sanctuary

00:08:09.680 --> 00:08:12.060
from one another. We're going to hear the story.

00:08:12.139 --> 00:08:14.519
We're going to hear singers proclaim the truth

00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:17.220
of God. We're going to hear as the word is penetrating

00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:18.980
the hearts and lives of people. We're going to

00:08:18.980 --> 00:08:20.920
hear and see what God has been doing. I love

00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.620
church for this reason. Every time we gather

00:08:23.620 --> 00:08:26.019
together, somebody is dealing with something

00:08:26.019 --> 00:08:28.550
difficult. Somebody is celebrating something

00:08:28.550 --> 00:08:31.589
amazing. Somebody is going through a hard time,

00:08:31.629 --> 00:08:33.710
and then you've got somebody that's been gifted

00:08:33.710 --> 00:08:36.190
by God to do something incredible. You've got

00:08:36.190 --> 00:08:40.250
all of this overwhelming sense of community that's

00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:43.269
gathered, and we need somebody that can Psalm

00:08:43.269 --> 00:08:46.629
126. Somebody that can say, listen, he's delivered

00:08:46.629 --> 00:08:50.649
me. Look at how he's protected me. Look how he's

00:08:50.649 --> 00:08:53.129
brought me through. I had surgery and now I'm

00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:55.649
better. I had this sickness and now I'm healed.

00:08:55.809 --> 00:08:59.789
I had this and now I'm better. He's brought my

00:08:59.789 --> 00:09:02.889
wayward son home. He's brought this. We hear

00:09:02.889 --> 00:09:05.750
those great... And the reason we need to hear

00:09:05.750 --> 00:09:08.029
that is because somebody is in the middle of

00:09:08.029 --> 00:09:09.990
it. And somebody says, well, I have a wayward

00:09:09.990 --> 00:09:12.309
child. You're telling me there's hope. Let's

00:09:12.309 --> 00:09:15.029
pray together and let's see how God has delivered.

00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:16.889
And we're going to see him do it again. We're

00:09:16.889 --> 00:09:18.429
going to trust in faith that he's going to keep

00:09:18.429 --> 00:09:21.990
working. He's not done with us yet. I hope and

00:09:21.990 --> 00:09:25.190
pray that you would Psalm 126 today. I hope and

00:09:25.190 --> 00:09:27.690
pray that you would give this shout of joy, this

00:09:27.690 --> 00:09:31.230
laughter on your tongue. Let it come out of you

00:09:31.230 --> 00:09:34.750
today. Let's worship him today.