Chaplain: Do It Again
By Allen Teal, Chaplain
And now, GOD, do it again — bring rains to our drought-stricken lives
So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing. (Psalm 126:4-6, The Message)
February 2 shares its name with a famous movie — “Groundhog Day.” The day is about having a superstitious belief in the ability of a groundhog to forecast the weather. The movie is about doing the same thing over and over until it is done correctly. Not too many people really want to relive a portion of their life. However, sometimes we want to see things done more than once. In Psalm 126, we hear the cry of people asking God to bless them again as he had in the past.
Practicing is important.
People who master performance skills, various crafts, or become proficient in any field must practice. This requires them to repeat the same or similar tasks time after time. This leads to executing a task correctly in a consistent manner. Practice always improves the outcome, whether it is a performance or some type of behavior.
Good things deserve doing again.
Every home cook has a favorite recipe. These recipes become favorites because of frequent repetition and having others enjoy the food. The same principle applies to how we live life. Good things always need repeating. Pleasant smiles, kind words, gentle behavior, tolerance of others and many more things fall into this category.
We sometimes need God to do it again.
Psalm 126 speaks of God providing the rain for crops planted during a drought. The sowers were without a real hope of harvest before the rains came. When we face times of crisis, grief, or want, we need God’s intervention. Hearing the testimonies of others or reading a scriptural account of God making a way through difficult times can buttress our faith. With renewed hope, we can lift our prayers toward heaven, expecting God to bless us one more time — even when we may not see how that could happen.
