Meeting in the Meadow, by Roy Lessin

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 126

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 126
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad (Psalm 126:1-3).

Before I decided to write my memoir, I knew the title would come from verse one of Psalm 126, “like those who dream.” Those words touched me deeply as a Jewish believer who had returned to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through faith in Jesus, God’s chosen Messiah.

Psalm 126 brings to mind the many contrasts between our rebellious responses to God and His merciful responses to us. We walk away from Him and He draws us back, we break our word and He keeps His promise, we plug our ears to His voice and He hears our cries for deliverance.

The story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 has some important similarities to Psalm 126. In both accounts we discover not only the emptiness of the wander’s journey, but the joy-filled celebration of the father, welcoming home the son who had been lost.

I haven’t done this before in our devotional journey through the Psalms, but I would like to make the following request…

If you have a family member who has walked away from the Lord, or if you have a friend who is living in bondage because of personal disobedience to God, please pray for that person now. Ask God to bring restoration and renewal…and may verse 1-3 of Psalm 126 be fulfilled to the fullest measure within that person’s heart.

Renewed

My steps, my times, my plans, Lord,
are daily in your hands—
as a yielded servant,
I wait on Your command.

I want to seek your kingdom,
and have You reign in me—
so I can live before You,
as one that’s been set free.

I cast my cares upon You,
and trust You for each day—
I want the course You set for me,
to be what I obey.

I have no expectations,
there only is Your will—
no need to strive and worry,
my heart has been made still.

Yet as I learn about You,
I’ve come to realize—
You do so many little things,
that take me by surprise.

Each day is an adventure,
as I set my heart on You—
my mind’s in constant wonder,
when I see all that You do.

I’ll let You do Your work, Lord,
just have Your perfect way—
and I’ll enjoy the new things,
You have for me each day!

Insight: This is worth repeating:
When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion,
We were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
And we are glad.

#psalms #devotional #devotion #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow
©2026 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

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Monday, October 26, 2026

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 125

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 125
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Those who trust in the Lord Are like Mount Zion,
Which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
So the Lord surrounds His people
From this time forth and forever (Psalm 125:1-2).

Are you uncertain about tomorrow? Trust in the Lord.
Are your resources about to run dry? Trust in the Lord.
Are you unsure about your next steps? Trust in the Lord.

You will keep in perfect peace
all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the Lord always,
for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4 NLT

Early in my Christian life I experienced a time of deep discouragement. I was attending Bible college, but things weren’t turning out the way I had hoped. My future looked uncertain and my present circumstances were filled with doubts.

One day while walking across campus I noticed a folded paper and picked it up. Out of curiosity, I unfolded the paper to see if anything was written inside. I found no name, only the following…

O you of little faith,
God has not failed you yet!
When all looks dark and gloomy,
Do you so soon forget—

Forget that He has led you,
And gently cleared your way;
On clouds has poured His sunshine
And turned your night to day.

And if He's helped you hitherto,
He will not fail you now;
How it must wound His loving heart
To see you anxious brow!

Oh! Doubt not any longer,
To Him commit your way,
Whom in the past you trusted,
And is "just the same today."

When I finished reading the poem I was overcome with wonder. It was a word from heaven that calmed my anxious heart and renewed my trust in God’s plan for my life.

(I have since learned that the poem is from the hymn "Jesus Never Fails" written by Arthur Abner Luther.)

Insight: “Trust in the Lord” is not a Biblical slogan, it is the disposition of a heart set upon God’s faithfulness.

Friday, October 23, 2026

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 124

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 124

-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).

We ask God for help for two main reasons:
1. We need help.
2. God is our Helper.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).

Question: What kind of a Helper is God?
Answer: A very present one!
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 NKJV).

Question: Why does God help you?
Answer: He is for you!
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? (Romans 8:31-31).

Question: What attributes qualify God to help you?
Answer: His power and authority to make heaven and earth!
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124:8).

Question: How will God’s help impact you personally?
Answer: Joyfully!
Joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God (Psalm 146:5 NLT).

The following true story is a joyful example of how God can help us in our time of need…

My wife and I were one of three missionary couples living in Valle De Bravo, in Southern Mexico. We were all graduates of the same Bible college and were sent by the school to explore the possibility of establishing a new home base for missionary outreach in that part of Mexico.

Because none of us were familiar with Southern Mexico we decided to spend time becoming more familiar with the area. One day the three guys decided to make an overnight exploratory trip to the city of Oaxaca. Our purpose was to see if there was any missionary work being done in the city.

It was a difficult trip through a high mountain range and over a narrow mountain road. We were halfway through the mountains when we heard a loud explosion. Our pickup truck jerked to the right, and we immediately knew we had a tire blowout. The one driving cautiously slowed the truck down and maneuvered it as close as he could to the side of the mountain. After setting the emergency brake, the three of us got out to inspect the damage.

"The tire is completely ruined," said Jerry, the one who was doing the driving. "I cannot repair it, and I have no spare. There's nothing I can do."

We stood there, at peace but completely puzzled. We let down the tailgate of the truck and used it for a bench. Together we prayed, asking God for help. No sooner had we said "Amen” than when an oversized van came around the bend of the road and pulled up behind us.

Out stepped a tall American. He introduced himself and asked if he could be of any help. After we told him our story, he smiled and said, "I think I have an extra tire in the back of my van that is the same size as yours. Let me check." A few moments later he returned, rolling a tire. It was the exact size we needed!

He visited with us while we changed tires. As we talked, we discovered he was a missionary who lived in Oaxaca. He had been in the States for about six weeks and was returning to the city. He invited us to come to his home when we arrived in Oaxaca. This stranger became the perfect contact we needed to fulfill the purpose of our journey in every detail!

Insight: Think about it, when you are asking God for help, you are asking the One who is omniscient and omnipotent. That means He knew about your need for help before you did, and He knew what He was going to do to provide the answer.

Insight: We cannot look to a natural or human source to meet our spiritual needs. As followers of the Lord we don’t need to look to other advisors to come up with better options, we don’t need to look to other leaders to come up with better plans, and we don’t need to look to other counselors to come up with better advice. There is no better source than the Lord!

Insight: What a joy it is for those who know God as their Helper. How sad it is for those who don’t!

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 123

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 123
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us (Psalm 123:1-3).

As God’s children, we are not looking for God, we are looking to God as our Father and Provider. He is the One we focus our faith upon, the One we depend upon, and the One we cast our cares upon. As His servants we look to Him to extend His hand of mercy, favor, and grace to us in our time of need.

Mercy is a glorious word that expresses God’s tenderness to us. It is found dozens of times throughout the Psalms. Mercy is an extension of God’s goodness, lovingkindness, and compassion towards us. Mercy is God’s hand reaching down in kindness to lift up the weak, to mend the broken, to restore the depleted, and to refresh the weary.

Many years ago, my wife and I were driving from Arkansas to visit family in Los Angeles. We reached the California border during the early evening of the second day of our trip. I was driving and felt I still had enough energy to make it to our destination.

However, my wife was very road weary and asked if we could stop at the next motel and spend the night. I told her I was okay to drive and wanted to keep going until we got to LA.

A few minutes later she told me again how tired she was and needed to stop. Once again, I told her I was fine and started giving her my list of reasons why I wanted to keep going. Before I could finish, she interrupted me and said, “I don’t need a list of reasons, I just need some mercy. Can you please find a motel.” Her need finally got through to me!
I changed my plans and pulled into the first motel I saw.

This is our comfort, that with the Lord there is mercy and we need desire no more to relieve us, and make us easy, than the mercy of God. Whatever the troubles, God's mercy is a sovereign remedy. -Matthew Henry

Insight: A merciful God is not a hard taskmaster. When we ask Him for mercy, He understands the need and responds with tenderness, kindness and compassion.

Monday, October 19, 2026

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 122

A Devotional Journey Through the Psalms: Psalm 122
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Our feet have been standing Within your gates, O Jerusalem!
Jerusalem is built As a city that is compact together,
Where the tribes go up, The tribes of the Lord,
To the Testimony of Israel, To give thanks to the name of the Lord.
For thrones are set there for judgment, The thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brethren and companions, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your good (Psalm 122:1-9).

Jerusalem is a reminder that what happened to a place can also happen to a person—what was lost can be found, what was ruined can be restored, and what was left desolate can become prosperous and fruitful.

The city of Jerusalem is like no other city. God put His name there, His Temple there, His Son there, and poured out the Holy Spirit there. Jesus shed His blood there, rose from the dead there, ascended to heaven there, and will be returning there when He comes again (Zechariah 14:4). Needless to say, Jerusalem’s future is as bright as the promises of God, and so is your future.

What do you have going for you today as you await the second coming of the Lord?

The promises of the Scriptures

The prayers and fellowship of God's people

The ministry of heaven’s Angels

The intercession of your heavenly High Priest

The grace and peace of God

The blessings of the Lord

The love of the Father

The life of Jesus

The presence and power of the Holy Spirit

Insight: The resurrection and the judgment will demonstrate before all worlds who won and who lost. We can wait." A.W. Tozer

Insight: Jesus is not coming back because someone we know says so. Jesus is coming back because God says so.