A “Yes” in the Middle of Our Story
Looking Back with Gratitude, Moving Forward with Hope
Last Sunday, Pastor Jay shared the Word of the Year: Yes. It’s a simple word, but it doesn’t stand alone. It’s wrapped in the beauty and depth of Psalm 126, a psalm that celebrates leaving heartache behind, remembering God’s goodness, and hope for even more.
Psalm 126 is one of the Psalms of Ascent, songs sung by Hebrew pilgrims as they traveled to Jerusalem for annual festivals. They were songs for the whole community, sung by people who had been in exile, known loss, and felt heartache. Families and friends walking together toward a place of worship with joy.
In this psalm we see memories of pain and feel hope for their future. The people looked back at what God has already done and forward to what He promised to do for them again.
It’s a way of storytelling - looking both backward and forward at the same time. It reminds me of the way the story of another family was told in the television show This Is Us.
In This Is Us, we get to know a family through multiple timelines spread across decades. The show moves backward and forward so brilliantly that sometimes you are not sure which timeline you are actually watching. We get to see how past decisions, heartache, joys, and struggles shape the present day lives of the characters. As viewers we are invited to both timelines at once. We see heartbreak alongside hope, trauma alongside tenderness. A story that explained how healing is rarely instant, but it is possible.
Psalm 126 works much the same way. The psalmist remembers captivity and tears and yet sings of freedom and laughter. The past is not erased, but it is redeemed. The pain still mattered, but it no longer had the final word.
At the end of the TV series, we finally get to see the family’s future. It is not a perfect one, but there is healing. Relationships are restored, and though scars remain they no longer define their lives. New dreams, new joys, new possibilities.
We can see our own story in that tension. We carry memories of both sadness and joy. Some wounds still ache and our dreams have been delayed. But Psalm 126 reminds us that looking back does not have to trap us when we can connect it to hope in God. Even though our histories are filled with both joy and sorrow, they lay the groundwork for our present and help us walk the path ahead.
As we journey with God this year, Psalm 126 invites us also to say “Yes” right in the middle of our story. Yes to remembering God’s faithfulness. Yes to believing God can bring refreshing water into dry places again. Yes to trusting that tears sown in faith will somehow, someday, become songs of joy.
This year, may our Yes carry us forward, even as we remember our past. May our laughter be restored, our song returned, and our hope renewed as we declare together, “The Lord has been good to us. Do it again.”
~ Psalm 126 ~
It seemed like a dream, too good to be true,
when God returned Zion’s exiles.
We laughed, we sang,
we couldn’t believe our good fortune.
We were the talk of the nations—
“God was wonderful to them!
” God was wonderful to us;
we are one happy people.
And now, God, do it again—
bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair
will shout “Yes!” at the harvest,
So those who went off with heavy hearts
will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing
:: Word of the Year - “YES!” ::
Reflection Questions:
• When you look back on your story, where can you clearly see God’s faithfulness, even in seasons that were painful or confusing?
• What “dry places” in your life are you longing for God to bring restoration, joy, or new dreams?
• Is there an area where God may be inviting you to say a renewed Yes, and what might you need to release in order to step forward with Him this year?
Watch Sermon Here
