HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 918
P S A LM 1 2 6
4
5
O Lord, do good to those who are good,
whose hearts are in tune with you.
But banish those who turn to crooked ways,
O Lord.
Take them away with those who do evil.
page 548
127
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May Israel have peace!
2
126
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2
3
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A song for pilgrims ascending to
Jerusalem.
When the Lord brought back his exiles
to Jerusalem,*
it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter,
and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has
done for them.”
Yes, the Lord has done amazing things
for us!
What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
as streams renew the desert.
Those who plant in tears
will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the
harvest.
• Suffering
PSALM 1 2 6 :5 -6
The Bible does not promise that
Christians won’t suffer. In fact, the
Scriptures give much evidence that we
can expect to suffer, given the evil that is
in the world around us and the sin that is
in us. What God does promise in these
and many other hope-filled passages
is that our suffering can become the
catalyst for new growth. God promises
that our suffering will not be wasted, that
he will open doors that allow us to use
our pain to help others. And when we
realize that God uses even our pain to
help others, we see how much God truly
loves us. Then we can share that love
with those we are helping. And so our
pain actually allows us to point others to
our loving and gracious God. This is how
our tears of suffering are transformed
into “shouts of joy.” What griefs are you
currently suffering? Can you entrust them
to God, confident that he will use them
to bring new growth into your life—and
through you, into the lives of others—
which will lead to a deeper joy than you
could have experienced otherwise?
3
4
5
Unless the Lord builds a house,
the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the Lord protects a city,
guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard
from early morning until late at night,
anxiously working for food to eat;
for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man
are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full
of them!
He will not be put to shame when
he confronts his accusers at the
city gates.
128
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6
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A song for pilgrims ascending to
Jerusalem.
How joyful are those who fear the Lord—
all who follow his ways!
You will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
How joyful and prosperous you will be!
Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young
olive trees
as they sit around your table.
That is the Lord’s blessing
for those who fear him.
May the Lord continually bless you
from Zion.
May you see Jerusalem prosper as
long as you live.
May you live to enjoy your grandchildren.
May Israel have peace!
129
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A song for pilgrims ascending to
Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
A song for pilgrims ascending to
Jerusalem.
From my earliest youth my enemies have
persecuted me.
Let all Israel repeat this:
From my earliest youth my enemies have
persecuted me,
but they have never defeated me.
My back is covered with cuts,
as if a farmer had plowed long furrows.
But the Lord is good;
he has cut me free from the ropes of
the ungodly.
May all who hate Jerusalem*
be turned back in shameful defeat.
May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop,
turning yellow when only half grown,
126:1 Hebrew Zion. 129:5 Hebrew Zion.