“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.” Psalm 126:1-2a
Remember a time when your mouth was full of laughter? What did it feel like? Like biting into a ripe strawberry? A mouth of pop rocks?
For the psalmist, the laughter-filled mouth was a communal experience of God restoring the fortunes of the Israelites. When have you experienced a moment like this, God restoring the fortunes of your community? Recall it in such a way you can taste it, share it with others in your community who experienced it and laugh and sing together.
Why? This memory is not nostalgia. Like the Psalmist, when held, it can lead us to a place to remember and believe that whether suddenly (like streams in the Negev after rain) or slowly (like the seed planted with tears and grown to fruit) God will bring restoration to places of brokenness around us.
Let us recall together and respond in faith filled prayer.