Psalm 126:5-6 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing precious seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” These are the verses Knowles Shaw used in 1874 to write the hymn “Bringing in the Sheaves.” The lyrics are quite general and almost sound like Karma: if you do this, you’ll get that. Others have linked it to evangelism since the New Testament in several places uses the gardening analogy for evangelism. But why does the sower in verse 5 “sow in tears”? It is because he is confessing sin that brought captivity (v. 1) from which the Lord brought them back (v. 4). So when we confess our sins with tears, “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad” (v. 3). Thus the sheaves represent God’s goodness in restoring us to fellowship and obedience.