As a child one song I enjoyed singing in church was called Bringing In The Sheaves.

1 Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,

Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:

Bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;

Bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

2 Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,

Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze;

By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]

3 Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,

Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;

When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. [Refrain]

As a little child I really had no Idea what the song meant. What were sheaves? Why did people go out sowing with weeping. What made them so sad? Why were people rejoicing while bringing them in?

Fortunately, Psalm 126 answers a lot of those questions.

Psalm 126

A song of ascents.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter,
    our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes Lord,
    like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears
    will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
    carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
    carrying sheaves with them.

The first half of the Psalm is a Song of Rejoicing. It likely refers to the time when Israel returned from their time in Exile. King Cyrus of Persia released the exiles in Israel and allowed them to return to Israel where they could live in freedom and rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. It was a time of rejoicing. It was a time of rejoicing, laughter, songs of joy. The surrounding nations could see how God did great things for them. Sadly over time Israel faced a whole new set of trials. So God’s people pray that once again God would step in and bless his people and restore their fortunes.

There was a time of drought that led to famine. The people were sad from their misfortune so they went out in faith with bags of seed to plant. It was an act of faith that God would supply abundant rain so that their seed would grow and be harvested so that they would carry back bundles… sheaves or grain. There would be laughter and shouts of joy in happy gratitude for God’s blessings.

Today, we go through times of great rejoicing at the blessings. November is a special time of celebrating God’s abundant blessings and rejoicing in God’s gifts. It can also be a time when we go through pain and loss. There’s a passage in Job that says “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) Some times we go out weeping and, in hope plant seeds believing that God will give blessings.

Is today a day that you are going out weeping with seeds to sow, or is today a day that you come back rejoicing at what God has provided, carrying those seeds of blessing?

Trust that God will give blessings if we faithfully sow, even with tears.