“We surely toil among weeping, carrying the burden of seed; he surely comes with rejoicing carrying his sheaves.” Psalm 126:5-6

The burden of hope is the burden of the seed carried with the promise of future glory. When a woman is pregnant, there is no other option but to wait for the time of delivery. Those who have placed their trust completely in the Lord must currently suffer the agony and pains of pregnancy. Although the appearance has changed, the physical obstructions endured, and the attractive figure is not the same. It then can only be appreciated by those who know and understand the reason behind it all, especially if the former pregnancy culminated with a miscarriage. Why take the risk again when the outcome may be uncertain? There are those who dreamed of a bright and glorious future merely to suffer setbacks and disappointments. It is difficult to recover from a thing that may have left you shipwrecked and feeling momentarily isolated. There are many who have walked in your shoes and suffered what is called, “The dark day of soul” when they possessed more questions than answers. Yet why didn’t the setback destroy all hope? Even though the fire may have been extinguished, the embers of hope remained. God has placed within the heart of His own a resilience that no experience in this life is able to destroy.

I have learned over the years that setbacks are merely setups and what is lost is preparation for greater gains. Cain slew his brother Abel and the future that was assigned to Abel was assassinated. Even though Abel was killed, his murder did not destroy the promise. “Adam knew his wife intimately again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth because God has given me another child in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” The question is, will Cain strike again and kill the second one as he did the first? Surely God can preserve the seed of promise and carry the evidence of faith that has been tried by fire.  The delay was only a test of Cain’s character, and through that test, God does not merely wish to produce something through you, but to reveal what He is developing in you.

The day of rejoicing will surely come! The fruitful life will never be barren, and the testimony of your faithfulness will impact many lives for ages to come! The most blessed part of all of this is that it is not merely restricted to time, but it is for all eternity. “Your weeping may endure for a night, but your joy will be forever fresh as the dew of each oncoming morning.” Raise up high the sheaves that you carry, for they represent the burden of your hope and the faithfulness of your God who never disappoints His own!