Psalm 126:1-2 “When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.”

Just how great are the things the Lord has done for us? We get a feel for the extent of his goodness in the reactions of God’s people when they returned from captivity in Babylon. They described the blessing they received in terms of dreaming and laughter.

I know of only one place this side of heaven where we can have life just the way we want it all the time, and that is in our dreams. We may sometimes be critical of daydreamers, but it’s no secret why we all indulge ourselves in those little fantasies. Nothing is impossible in them, and nothing ever goes wrong there.

When the captive Jews returned to Zion, to Jerusalem, they felt like they were in a dream. It’s not that their return was unreal. They really returned. But it was so far beyond what they ever hoped for anymore, it was a matter of things going so right, and having things so good, that it was the kind of pleasantness usually reserved only for dreams. What made their joy even greater was that this was a dream come true.

So great was their joy that they laughed out loud and burst into songs. Singing when you are incredibly happy and amazingly blessed isn’t hard for us to understand. I’ll bet you often find yourself humming or whistling a tune when things are going well.

But when was the last time you were so overwhelmed with joy that you laughed out loud? I’m not talking about laughing because something is comical. This definitely isn’t mocking laughter. I mean laughing because what has just happened to you is so unbelievably wonderful. I have seen people shed tears of joy. I have shed a few myself. But I have trouble remembering a time when I was so moved by the great thing that had happened that I erupted in spontaneous laughter.

That’s what happened here. The Lord had done such great things for these people by letting them go home that they had to let loose with laughter. And you know, the Lord has done even greater things for us. When we let the good news that God has sent us his own Son sink into our hearts, there is a source of source of happiness and joy unlike anything else we have known! This joy is available to you know matter who you are or what your circumstances might be. It doesn’t matter how much or little you have, what horrible experiences you may have suffered, how hard your life might be. God has sent us a Savior! God is forgiving our sins! God is blessing us with eternal life! Eternal life– not just a long life, or a better life–eternal life!

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.