GOD WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. – Psalm 126
When God prospers you abundantly, it will be as if you are dreaming. His blessings are such that even your enemies will testify that God has blessed you irreversibly. By the time you are done reading this book and applying its principles, you will truly rejoice. The Lord will surely make you laugh!
My emphasis in this chapter shall be in verses 5 and 6 of the above text (Psalm 126):
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
The Law of Harvest is a universal law. Galatians 6:7 says:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
This law holds true whether you are white or black; whether you are a Christian or a Muslim, or never even believes in any God at all. You sow, you reap. However, we also know that the type of soil you sow in will determine the harvest. If the soil is good, the harvest will be good. If the soil is bad, the harvest will be bad.
Basis for Different Levels of Harvest
Supposing that all farmers are sowing in the same type of soil for the same crops; one farmer gets a bountiful harvest (more prosperous), and the other does not. What is responsible? The Bible tells us some of the things that can cause that.
- Amount of Seed – For example, in 2 Corinthians 9:6 the Bible says,
“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
If one sowed few seeds, he will surely reap a small harvest. But the one who sowed abundant seed will harvest abundantly.
Supposing that a set of farmers are sowing in the same type of soil, with the same crops in the same amount; why will one prosper and the others lack?
- Use of Fertilizer – Imagine two farmers who sowed the same crop, in the same soil and the same quantity of seed. The one who uses fertilizers will reap more than the one who did not. What is that fertilizer, you may ask. It is in the same passage above;
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
The fertilizer in reaping in joy is not just sowing; it is sowing sacrificially. It is giving in such a way the it causes pain. Sacrificial giving is the fertilizer to reaping in joy.
Sacrificial Giving
In 1 Kings 17:8-16, the widow of Zarephath sowed her last meal. The result was unending harvest. Her pot was full, everyday. In Genesis 22:1-18, God told Abraham to make a sacrifice of his only son, Isaac.
The Bible did not tell us that Abraham wept. But if you were in his shoes, where you had to travel for three days to sacrifice your only son that you love, you will understand how it feels. The pain he felt for going on a three-day journey, knowing that the son of his old age may not return with him must have been unimaginable. What worsened it all was that he was the one who would kill him.
You cannot walk that kind of journey shouting Hallelujah. Abraham wept inwardly. He must have groaned, hoping that in the course of the journey, the Lord will change his mind and speak to him otherwise. But God was quiet, as it
happens whenever you sow a seed. You do not hear God immediately you sow a seed. Everything goes into the ground (spiritual soil) and stays quiet. Abraham returned with an irreversible blessing; the Lord swore on him. Not only did he return with an irreversible blessing, he came with multiplication of blessings upon his seed. Sacrificial giving leads to unending and irreversible harvest.
In Mark 12:41-44, the Bible tells of a widow who gave only two mites:
And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
The two mites she gave represented 100% of all she had. Her blessing includes the fact that we are talking about her even today. There is a kind of blessing that people cannot keep quiet about.
In 2 Samuel 6:7-12, the Bible records about Obededom:
And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household. And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
As a result of hosting the ark of the Lord in his house for three months, God blessed Obededom so much that the whole nation was talking about him. This is a similar blessing enjoyed by the widow who gave all she h–ad two mites. Unfortunately, when people want to be stingy; when they do not want to give sacrificially to God, they say they have given their widow’s mite. The question I always ask them is, “ Are you a widow? Is this all you have? ”
In 2 Samuel 24:17-24, the Bible tells us about a time when God was angry with David. He asked for forgiveness, asking God to stop killing others and kill him and his family instead. God heard his cry, and instructed him to offer a sacrifice. A man offered to give him all he needed to offer the sacrifice. But David refused to accept offering a sacrifice unto God that did not cost him anything.
And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. – 2 Samuel 24:17-24
| Sacrificial sowing is the fertilizer for extraordinary harvest. | If | you | sow |
| sacrificially, the harvest will be unending and irreversible. | If | you | sow |
| sacrificially, the harvest will become the talk of the town. | If | you | sow |
sacrificially, even God’s anger against you will be turned away. Those that sow in tears will surely reap in joy.
Spiritual Sowing
Many a time, when we talk about sowing, our mind quickly goes to money. Money is just a part of it. There are other types of sowing. For example, you may have someone precious to you that is not born again. You can begin to sow prayers and fasting for the salvation of their souls, and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The day that person gives his or her life of Christ, you will reap in joy.
There was a woman who I met many years ago through my best friend. I was the
best man of her husband during their wedding. Then she would come to me and preach, telling me to give my life to Christ. I would refute her and tell her that even my name is Enoch – meaning that I was already a Christian by religion. She always wept and prayed for my salvation. Today, she is laughing. The sacrificial seed of prayers that she sowed on the salvation of my soul has yielded increase. Not only should you sow materially, you should sow spiritually – prayers, fasting, witnessing, etc. Those that sow in tears will surely reap in joy.
Prayer Points
- Lord, let my sorrows be turned into joy, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, anything that is causing me sorrow, please remove it now, in the name of Jesus.
- Oh Lord, I am sowing in tears today, let me reap in joy, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, fill my mouth with laughter, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, to the glory of your holy name, wipe away poverty from my life this month, in the name of Jesus.
