Singing Boldly

 

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”

—Psalm 137:1

Most people my age who grew up in the strong, yet nurturing, grip of Christian Fundamentalism, will remember singing this song during Wednesday night prayer meetings:

This world is not my home,
I’m just a-passin’ through.
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me
From heaven’s open door.
And, I can’t feel at home
In this world any more.

The sentiment in this song expresses the reality that, having come to understand the great work God has done in our behalf through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross, we now live as citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. We are no longer of this world, even though we remain in this world.

The people of Israel experienced a similar reality, as expressed in Psalm 137:1-6:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

Carried off by the Babylonians, the Israelites languished in this foreign land. They were mocked because of their faith in God. The Babylonian culture hated them because their faith stood in stark contrast to the unabashed sinfulness of their captors.

The captive Israelites ask: “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” Then, they try to answer this question by considering the request of their captors to sing a song of Zion, so that their captors can mock them further. But, the real answer lies in a decision that they will ultimately learn to make. They will come to understand that they can overcome the pain and misery of their captivity by singing the songs of Zion with boldness and yet with overwhelming love.

That solution applies to us today. When we feel overcome by the sinfulness of this world. When our culture snears at us and derisively disdains us. We can retain our dignity and our joy by singing our songs of worship and praise. Yes, we can sing those songs boldly, yet with overwhelming love. That’s the solution!

 

Originally posted on Monday, March 2, 2015

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