When the Lord Restored Our Blessing (Psalm 126)

Hymn Information

First Line: When the Lord restored our blessing
Author: Michael Morgan
Tune Name: HATIKVAH
Arranger: Hal H. Hopson
Tune Source: Traditional Hebrew melody
Topic: Covenant Faithfulness · God As: Redeemer

Copyright Information

Text Copyright

Tune Copyright

Reprint/Projection Information

Words: Permitted with a license from CCLI.com or from OneLicense.net. If you do not own one of these licenses, please contact the copyright holder for permission.

Scripture References

Numbers 6:22-27
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Psalm 46
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Psalm 126
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Isaiah 43
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Romans 8:31-37

Further Reflections on Scripture References

See such assuring passages as the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6:22-27; Psalm 46; Isaiah 43; and Romans 8:31-37.

Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Our World Belongs to God, Paragraph 22

Further Reflections on Confessions and Statements of Faith References

Throughout all of history, God’s people proved to be unfaithful to him and yet God, in his mercy, was full of grace. These truths are expressed in Our World Belongs to God, paragraph 22: “When Israel spurned God’s love…God scattered them among the nations, yet kept a faithful remnant and promised them the Messiah…God promised to forgive their sins and give them a new heart and a new spirit, moving them to walk in his ways.”

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When the Lord Restored Our Blessing (Psalm 126)

Additional Prayers

We are overwhelmed, O Lord, by your love and saving goodness.

In Christ Jesus you restore both our lives and our world.

Like reapers at an unexpected harvest,

we shout your praise and sing your goodness. Amen.

— Psalms for All Seasons (http://www.psalmsforallseasons.org)

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When the Lord Restored Our Blessing (Psalm 126)

Tune Information

Name: HATIKVAH
Key: d minor
Meter: 8.7.8.7

Recordings

51

When the Lord Restored Our Blessing (Psalm 126)

Hymn Story/Background

Psalm 126 is another of the fifteen "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134) the Israelites sang as they went up to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Here Israel celebrates their restoration from exile, most likely the exile in Babylon. With joy so great that they felt as if they were dreaming, the people returned to Jerusalem full of laughter and praise for the great things God had done for them, evoking wonder even among unbelieving nations. Having been so favored, the worshipers pray that God's acts of restoration may continue until those who "sow in tears" bring in a bountiful harvest with "songs of joy" (vv. 5-6)—in other words, until God makes their joy complete.

— Bert Polman

The author, Michael Morgan, writes: The text is slightly revised from my original setting of Psalm 126 in the Psalter for Christian Worship. The Psalter for Christian Worship (1999; revised, 2010) was written for my congregation at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta as a means of reclaiming the Reformed tradition of singing metrical Psalms in our worship. The wonderful tune selected for this text is the traditional Hebrew melody, Hativkah, as set by American church music composer Hal H. Hopson.

— Michael Morgan

Author Information

Michael Morgan (b. 1948) is a church musician, Psalm scholar, and collector of English Bibles and Psalters from Atlanta, Georgia. After almost 40 years, he now serves as Organist Emeritus for Atlanta’s historic Central Presbyterian Church, and as Seminary Musician at Columbia Theological Seminary. He holds degrees from Florida State University and Atlanta University, and did post-graduate study with composer Richard Purvis in San Francisco. He has played recitals, worship services, and master classes across the U. S., and in England, France, Spain, Switzerland, and Germany. He is author of the Psalter for Christian Worship , and a regular contributor in the field of psalmody (most recently to the Reformed collections Psalms for All Seasons and Lift Up Your Hearts, and the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God).

— Michael Morgan