The Promise

Psalm 126 — Joyful Return to Zion

Theme: The Fulfilled Promise

At the start of 2025, our yearly theme came from Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.”
This was God’s promise to us—a call to seek His face and walk in restored relationship with Him.

To understand Psalm 126, we look back to the book of Jeremiah. The Israelites had disobeyed God. In Jeremiah 2:1, God declares what led them into this situation: They had forsaken Him, the fountain of living waters, and turned to idols—broken cisterns that could not hold water. Their relationship with God was completely broken.

God sent Jeremiah to call them back. He pleaded with them, prayed for them, warned them, and wrote letters to them. But instead of repenting, they turned against him. They accused him of betrayal, punished him severely, tied him down like an ox, and eventually threw him into a cistern. Even then, Jeremiah stood firm: “Do as you please, but the word of God will stand.”

Despite their rebellion, God still gave them a promise:
You will be in captivity for 70 years, but after that, I will restore you.
In Babylon, God told them through Jeremiah: build houses, settle, have families, and seek the peace of the land—because the promise would come in its appointed time.

Since January, God has given us the same invitation:
Seek Me. Know Me. Walk with Me.
The promise was not based on their mood or their treatment of the prophet—and it is not based on ours either. God remains faithful, whether we applaud His servant or reject him. The promise stands because God Himself is faithful.

The First Blessing of Restoration: Freedom

After 70 years, God honored His promise and opened the door for Israel to return. But sadly, very few chose to go back.

Why?

1. Many had prospered in Babylon.
2. They had established opportunities and stability.
3. The journey home was difficult.
4. Those born in exile had never known Zion—they were not eager to return.

They had been instructed to settle and build, and they did so well that returning to the promise seemed inconvenient. The blessings they received in exile made them forget they were only passing through.

My prayer is that prosperity in this world will not make us forget that we, too, are pilgrims. We are citizens of heaven. May we never become so comfortable in a foreign land that we lose desire for our true home.

Psalm 126 describes the joy of those who returned:
“We were like those who dreamed… our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”
Those who embraced the promise experienced overwhelming joy.

But many missed it—because comfort kept them from returning.

Other Blessings of Restoration

(These will be explored at another time.)

1. A New Covenant (Daniel 9:27)
   • Transformation of the heart
   • God’s presence written on our hearts rather than on stone
2. Personal Knowledge of God
   • Knowing a God who keeps His word
   • Captivity became a test of obedience and alignment
   • Experiencing His forgiveness
3. Discover your worth in the kingdom
4. Eye of Discernment
   • Eyes to see that the Lord is coming
   • Confidence that His Word never changes

May we be found seeking the Lord, embracing His promise, and longing for our true home.