When Jehovah turned again the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
At that time our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with a ringing shout.
— Psalm 126:1-2a
We may have realized for years that God desired a testimony and a habitation. We realized that God wanted to gain a group of people to belong to Himself alone. Yet we were in captivity, either in Christianity or in the world. But one day the Lord brought us to the local churches and we began to enjoy the church life. He “turned our captivity.” Then we were like those that dream. We beheld all the dear saints. We beheld all the riches of Christ. We found that we could serve the living God in reality. We had the full realization, “Oh, thank You Lord! You have turned the captivity of Zion! You have brought us to Your testimony! We are like those that dream!”
If you have never struggled for this, then there is no “dream” in your experience. You may attend meetings and even enjoy them, but within you there is no declaration, “This is just like a dream!” Instead you may only think, “This is a good group to be with.” But those who struggle, who fight, who labor, who cry out in their seeking, eventually enter into the reality of what they are fighting for. They can say, “I am in the church life! This is a dream come true!”
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 59.
Tomorrow: “‘Turn Again, O Lord, Our Captivity!'”