September 19

Psalm 137

Songs and Sorrow

Today in our Psalms we reviewed a brief history of the journey of the Jews. It is not a pretty picture. Time after time they turned their backs on God until the decline was so radical that God said, “Enough.” It is sad that we constantly think we know better than God. We still do it today. This constant turning away from God always leads to bondage. Psalm 137 paints an idyllic picture of people gathered together at a picnic by a beautiful river in Babylon. But there is no joy found in this picnic. They are reflecting on how far they have fallen as a people, just how far they are from God’s blessing. You can hear them ask this question, “Why were we so stupid to ignore the Word of the Lord?”
The psalmist recalled that Babylonians would ask them for songs of joy. But their grief was so great that even the singers were silent. The exiles hung their harps on poplar trees for they could not sing their songs about their homeland when they felt such great sorrow.
The lesson here is that it is difficult to sing when we are overwhelmed with sorrow, guilt or despair. Singing seems to spring from the heart, and when our heart is weighed down it is difficult, it is impossible, to raise a song from them. The pain of our soul will squelch the song in our heart.
But there is something we can do to overcome this sorrowful songlessness. BELIEVE... believe the Word of God, believe that he can restore us, believe that when we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Faith is the only antidote to songlessness.
No day of my life has ever passed that has not proven me guilty in the sight of my Holy God. Even on my best day, my best services are filthy rags. But it isn’t about my sin it is about his amazing grace. A grace so wonderful, so boundless, that it can cover over all of my shortcomings. This is what we need to sing about every day of our lives. Not a song about my guilt but a song about his pardon. Not a song about my sin but a song about his cleansing.
Go sing a song!!!