Temi Akinsanya | PSALMS for Summer | Week 5

Sep 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: When Memory Becomes a Banner of Hope

The past often feels like a locked room we can’t reenter, but God’s faithfulness refuses to stay buried. Israel’s joy after exile wasn’t mere nostalgia—it became fuel for new prayers. Their story shouts that answered prayers aren’t just souvenirs, but seeds for future miracles. What once felt like a dream—freedom after 70 years—became proof God could act again. Hope grows when we rehearse His past victories, not just recall them. [06:16]

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
(Psalm 126:1-3, NIV)

Reflection: What “dream-like” moment of God’s faithfulness in your past can become a banner of hope for your current struggle? How might rehearsing that story shift your perspective today?

Day 2: Praying for Negev-Storm Turnarounds

Dry seasons make God’s sudden reversals feel impossible. Israel compared their longing to the Negev desert—parched for months until storms flood valleys overnight. Their prayer wasn’t timid; it demanded God repeat His shocking faithfulness. Trusting His timing doesn’t mean quiet resignation. It’s okay to beg, “Do it again, but bigger.” [20:17]

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.”
(Psalm 126:4, NIV)

Reflection: Where does your current “dryness” make God’s intervention feel unlikely? How might His past faithfulness in abrupt, unexpected ways strengthen your prayers today?

Day 3: Pocket Reminders for Faith’s Forgetful Days

A ring, a stone, a saved voicemail—physical tokens combat spiritual amnesia. Israel built altars after miracles, not just for memory, but to point their children to hope. God’s faithfulness deserves more than mental notes; it needs tangible markers. What we touch daily can rehearse His track record. [16:13]

“In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘…The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea…so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful.’”
(Joshua 4:6-7, 24, NIV)

Reflection: What ordinary object could you designate as a “faith token” for a specific miracle God performed? Where will you place it to daily confront doubt?

Day 4: Sowing Seeds in the Soil of Sorrow

Tears water the seeds we plant in crisis. Israel’s farmers wept as they scattered precious grain in war-torn fields, yet kept sowing. Grief and obedience aren’t opposites. Faithfulness in pain isn’t pretending—it’s showing up broken, yet trusting the harvest will come. [26:26]

“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”
(Psalm 126:5-6, NIV)

Reflection: What “seed” of obedience feels hardest to plant in your current pain? How might today’s small act of faithfulness honor both your grief and God’s promise?

Day 5: The Cross—Our Unshakable Receipt of Hope

When personal stories fade, the cross remains. It’s God’s ultimate “receipt”—proof He invests in hopeless cases. If He loved us at our worst, how much more now? Every answered prayer whispers, “Remember Calvary.” Every drought bows to resurrection’s flood. [30:29]

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope…”
(1 Timothy 1:1, NIV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ sacrifice reframe your definition of “impossible”? What dead situation needs resurrection’s watermark stamped over it today?

Sermon Summary

The good old days can give people a comforting memory of what was, but they cannot be lived again. God’s faithfulness is the one exception, because the stories of His goodness are not only memories of what was, but a banner of hope for what could be again. Psalm 126 carries that kind of remembrance as Israel ascends to Jerusalem: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” The Lord had turned back their turning, reversed a story that had seemed stuck, and brought freedom after years of captivity and longing.

Israel’s laughter and shouts of joy came because God’s reversal was so unexpected that the nations had to say, “The Lord has done great things for them.” God’s answered prayers can become easy to forget as time moves forward, which is why God gave His people symbols, festivals, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism and communion call God’s people to remember that He has acted, that Jesus died, and that His grace has already changed their story. Symbolic reminders of answered prayers can also help a person remember the moments when God showed up, gave freedom, provided, and turned back their turning.

Psalm 126 does not stay in the old glory days. Israel remembers a former restoration because a new season of pain has come, and verse 4 becomes their prayer: “Restore our fortunes, Lord, like water courses in the Negev.” The Negev was dry for most of the year, but a winter storm could suddenly flood that dry land with more water than it could handle. God can change a dry story in such a way that the difference is clear. Past glory becomes hope in present pain because the God who showed up once has not run out of power, grace, or kindness.

The psalm also refuses to pretend that grief is not real. Those who sow in tears still have tears, pain, disappointment, unanswered prayer, and grief, but they keep sowing. Faithfulness means crying while still doing what God has called them to do, carrying the seed while still waiting for the Lord of harvest to bring fruit. The harvest may come in this life or in the life to come, but God’s people can stay faithful in the unseen because reaping is sure.

Jesus’ death and resurrection stand as the ultimate remembrance for hope. The cross proves that God is still on a person’s case: if Christ loved sinners at their worst, gave His life when they had nothing to offer, and turned back their turning, then His people can look to Him again. Written memories and visible reminders can help hope rise again, but Christ remains the greatest evidence that God can do it again.

Key Takeaways

1. Past glory becomes present hope God’s past faithfulness is not meant to sit in the memory like an old photograph. God’s former acts give present pain a reason to hope, because His power has not expired. Israel remembered restoration in order to pray for restoration again. [21:34]
2. Remember God’s answered prayers God knows that people are prone to forget the ways He has shown Himself faithful. Baptism, communion, and personal reminders can call the heart back to moments when God changed a story. Remembering does not deny current pain, but it keeps pain from becoming the only thing a person can see. [13:46]
3. Keep sowing through real tears The tears in Psalm 126 are not fake, shallow, or quickly dismissed. The one who sows in tears keeps carrying seed, which means grief does not cancel faithfulness. God calls His people to stay faithful in pain, disappointment, unanswered prayer, and the unknown. [25:53]
4. The cross is ultimate hope Jesus’ death and resurrection are the greatest display that God has turned back human turning. The cross tells the weary heart that God loved them at their worst and acted when they had nothing to offer. Christ’s finished work gives hope a foundation deeper than changing circumstances.

## [29:31]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - Remembering the Good Old Days
[03:31] - God’s Faithfulness Can Be Relived
[05:14] - Psalm 126 and the Songs of Ascent
[06:54] - When God Restored Zion
[08:55] - Israel’s Freedom From Exile
[13:00] - Symbols That Help People Remember
[17:56] - Praying for God to Do It Again
[19:26] - Water Courses in the Negev
[22:51] - Sowing in Tears and Reaping Joy
[27:56] - Remembering God’s Turning Points
[29:31] - Jesus, the Ultimate Hope
[31:11] - Creating Reminders of God’s Faithfulness
[35:05] - Prayer for Hope Again

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 126
“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter

Sermon Clips

45s

#RememberGodsPast

“Israel can pray this prayer with confidence because they remembered what God did in the past. Their past glory has become hope in their present pain. You see, when you are in your present pain, it can be easy to to be fixed on your pain and to and to wonder how would I get out of here? How would I get out of it? But the children of Israel, they said, well, we are in a present pain, that's what we're gonna do. We are going to remember what God once did. And because we're gonna remember that, we will use that as a banner of hope that God will do it again.”

74s

#CrossOfHope

“Let me tell you clearly this morning. That's why Jesus died on a cross and rose back up three days later. His death and his resurrection are the ultimate remembrance for hope. what God did so that in my moments of of doubt, in my moments of pain, in my moments of grief, I can be filled with hope. Let me tell you what you can do. You can look to Jesus. You can look to the cross. The Bible actually calls him our hope. If you can't find evidence of the goodness of God in your life, then friends, look at the cross. That is the the greatest display that God is still on your case. It is the greatest display of if he did it before, he can do it again. It is the greatest display of God turning back our turning because that what took place on the cross with Jesus was done for you.”

109s

#SowInTearsReapJoy

“Following Jesus does not mean you act like the pain is not real or that the grief isn't a thing or that the disappointment is not something that weighs on you. The grief is real, the pain is real, the disappointment is real, the tears are all real. But because there is hope in a God who showed up before, I can sow in tears. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can so in grief. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in pain. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in disappointment. I can sow in unanswered prayer. And at the right time, my sowing in tears will reap a harvest of joy. At the right time, my sowing in pain will reap into a harvest of laughter. At the right time, my sowing in grief will will reap a harvest of happiness. see, I cannot promise that the reaping will take place in this life, but there is full confidence that there will be reaping. Whether in this life or in you want to come or you will reap what you sow. Hear me this morning. No matter what circumstance and season you're in, let me just encourage you to not give up.”

46s

#StayFaithfulSowOn

“The tears are still there, but he still says, she still says, I'll remain faithful to God. Yes. Stay faithful in the unseen. Stay faithful in the pain that are you sow. Stay faithful and keep sowing. Stay faithful and keep sowing, and in due time, let me tell you, in due time, the lord of harvest will turn back your turning. In due time, the the lord of harvest will will change your circumstance. In due time, the the lord of harvest will will change your story.”

46s

#GodReversedMyStory

“You ever prayed for so long that you get to a point and you just say, god, I'm tired of praying. If you're gonna do it, just do it. You ever get to a point where you pray for so long, you're like, god, I've been praying. I don't even know if this can be a thing anymore. This was Israel. But then in the moment came, God reversed their fortune. For years, they longed for freedom. For years, they longed to go back home. For years, they longed to to get back what they had lost. And then in an unexpected moment, years of longing became a reality, and it all felt like a dream.”

52s

#StoriesBecomeHope

“Your stories of God's faithfulness. Your stories of God's provision. Your stories of God's kindness. Your your story of God's goodness, they are not just a comfort and memory to you of what was, but they are a banner of hope for what could be again. Let me say that again for los menae. I've caught that. Your stories of God's faithfulness, your stories of God's goodness, they are not just a comforting memory of what was, but but they are a banner of hope for what could be again.”

37s

#ShowUpAgainGod

“Here's what they are praying in this verse. They are saying, change our story in such a way that there is a difference. They are praying, God, reverse our circumstance. Do what only you can do. You see, I don't know who might need to hear this this morning. I I don't know who what what season you might be, but but let me tell you that if God has shown up once in your story, then you can look to him and say, God, you showed up once. Would you show up again?”

55s

#KeepSowingDontGiveUp

“see, I cannot promise that the reaping will take place in this life, but there is full confidence that there will be reaping. Whether in this life or in you want to come or you will reap what you sow. Hear me this morning. No matter what circumstance and season you're in, let me just encourage you to not give up. Let me just encourage you to not give up. Keep going. Stay faithful in the tears. Stay faithful in the grief. Stay faithful in the disappointment. Stay faithful in the unanswered prayer. Stay faithful in the pain.”

132s

“Following Jesus does not mean you act like the pain is not real or that the grief isn't a thing or that the disappointment is not something that weighs on you. The grief is real, the pain is real, the disappointment is real, the tears are all real. But because there is hope in a God who showed up before, I can sow in tears. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in grief. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in pain. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in disappointment. I can sow in unanswered prayer. And at the right time, my sowing in tears will reap a harvest of joy. At the right time, my sowing in pain will reap into a harvest of laughter. At the right time, my sowing in grief will will reap a harvest of happiness. see, I cannot promise that the reaping will take place in this life, but there is full confidence that there will be reaping. Whether in this life or in you want to come or you will reap what you sow. Hear me this morning. No matter what circumstance and season you're in, let me just encourage you to not give up. Let me just encourage you to not give up. Keep going. Stay faithful in the tears. Stay faithful in the grief. Stay faithful in the disappointment. Stay faithful in the unanswered prayer. Stay faithful in the pain. Stay faithful”

131s

“Following Jesus does not mean you act like the pain is not real or that the grief isn't a thing or that the disappointment is not something that weighs on you. The grief is real, the pain is real, the disappointment is real, the tears are all real. But because there is hope in a God who showed up before, I can sow in tears. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in grief. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in pain. Because there is hope in a god who showed up before, I can sow in disappointment. I can sow in unanswered prayer. And at the right time, my sowing in tears will reap a harvest of joy. At the right time, my sowing in pain will reap into a harvest of laughter. At the right time, my sowing in grief will will reap a harvest of happiness. see, I cannot promise that the reaping will take place in this life, but there is full confidence that there will be reaping. Whether in this life or in you want to come or you will reap what you sow. Hear me this morning. No matter what circumstance and season you're in, let me just encourage you to not give up. Let me just encourage you to not give up. Keep going. Stay faithful in the tears. Stay faithful in the grief. Stay faithful in the disappointment. Stay faithful in the unanswered prayer. Stay faithful in the pain.”

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How can past faithfulness fuel present hope?

What does turning back our turning mean?

How does sowing in tears yield joy?