Responding to Suffering and Sowing with Tears (Psalms 123–126)

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When contempt gets loud and courage feels thin, the Songs of Ascent offer a map for the weary. We walk through Psalms 123–126 to face scorn without folding, steady our gaze on the One enthroned in heaven, and find the grit to keep sowing truth when tears blur our vision. The journey is honest about pain, clear about hope, and relentless about God’s faithful presence.

We start with Psalm 123’s raw confession—more than enough of contempt—and learn why expectation matters: hostility is real, but God’s rule is not up for debate. From there we practice concentration, turning from outrage to prayer and from doomscrolling to worship, so our hearts look where our help actually lives. Psalm 124 reorients our memory: if it had not been the Lord on our side, we would not be here. Remembered rescues become present courage.

Then Psalm 125 anchors us like Mount Zion, surrounded as Jerusalem is surrounded. Wicked scepters may rise, but they do not rest forever. Empires come and go, yet God’s promises stand, guiding history toward His good purpose. Finally, Psalm 126 sends us back into the fields: those who sow in tears shall reap with joy. We explore what compassionate, patient gospel work looks like, why burdened prayer bears fruit, and how stories like Robert Murray McCheyne’s show the quiet power of a life poured out.

If you’re carrying emotional baggage, longing for justice, or wondering how to keep going with a soft heart and a steady spine, this conversation will meet you on the road and point your eyes higher. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review to help others find the journey.

The first of Stephen's two volumes set through the Book of Revelation is now available. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQ3XCJMY

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