Psalm 137:4 “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”
During the exile, the Israelites gathered at the River of Babylon. It was a place where they came together to mourn. The land was unfamiliar to them; it wasn’t what they were used to. Have you ever been in an unfamiliar place in life? Like a global pandemic!
Our world is in a strange season. Picking up your mask is as normal as grabbing the car keys when you leave the house. Laying out your clothes for the next day now includes finding a mask that matches your fashion colors. While many are grieving lost, of loved ones, jobs, income, and the list goes on and on our first thought is to complain, not sing.
While Israel was in captivity, their captors asked them to sing. This was a way to torment those who were already feeling misplaced. There were no temples for the Israelites to worship. Their allegiances was to Jerusalem. When I read Psalm 137 I can identify with being in a season where a song is the last thing on my mind. My first thought is to complain, but then I remember that even in the tough season God is with me. Knowing that He promised never to leave me, Hebrews 13:5 KJV: For He hath said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake.” Scripture records the same words in the Old Testament Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Whether it be physical or emotional turmoil, God promised to be with you. In this current season, there is much anxiety. We just want it to be over. Surely seven months is long enough. Only God knows when the pandemic will end. When it started earlier this year, I never imagined it would continue this long. I thought maybe a few weeks and the season would change, after all that’s what seasons do. We saw Spring, Summer, and now Fall. The seasons of the year have changed, but we remain in an unfamiliar place.
In those moments when you feel as if some event in life is holding you hostage. You will not feel like singing. It may be grief from the death of a loved one, a divorce, or another significant life change. Know that God is with you. Even with the great shifting our world has experienced, we can still sing. Not because of the outcome, because we don’t know when it will end. But we can sing because we know the God who controls everything. We can sing a song in a strange season because God has not changed, and He is with us even in the dark moments of life.
Go ahead, pick up the microphone, or lift your voice and sing.