Songs of Joy Ministry was birthed during a season of deep heartache, a time when the path ahead was not clear. It was a time which also included immense personal freedom and deliverance. One morning, as I was just waking up, I heard the Lord say, “It's time to create a 501(c)3.” And when I asked him what he wanted me to name it, he replied, “What's your favorite scripture?” My answer was Psalm 126. It's been one of my favorite passages for my entire Christian walk.

Psalm 126

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. Then it was said among the nations, the Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

Psalm 126 speaks of bringing back the captives to Zion; of bringing people out of captivity to a place of freedom and promise. Those who have gone out into the fields with tears, weeping, carrying seed to sow, will come back with a full harvest. Three times, in my Bible's version of Psalm 126, it says songs of joy. It's not just a singular song. It's multiple songs of multiple testimonies of the Lord's goodness; of his deliverance; of his mercy and grace; and of his vast, overwhelming love for each of us.