It has been too long since I last updated my blog. There has been much life experienced since then; went on a missions trip to Mexico, my kids have completed a grade, we went on vacation, and we have ended another semester in Life Groups @ Antioch Church, our life group has seen the TBones ball game, Celtics lost, etc... God is faithful through all times!I want to take some time to share what the Lord is showing me through His Word. Sometimes, God's tangible presence seems absent, sometimes we feel our life is walking through a strange time, and we are waiting for his revelation, and his power. We have to learn to be faithful to his word and our devotion to Him. It is a walk of faith! The children of Israel found themselves in one of those seasons. They could not even sing a song of the Lord. I imagine they had to sing in faith, not feeling, they had to sing out of obedience, not Holy Spirit goose bumps!
Psalm 137 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.* We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?
The children of Israel where in Babylon at the time, they were in a strange land, and they felt abandoned, lost, and hurt. The enemy was taunting and throwing sarcastic comments at them. Yes, the children of Israel committed sin and were being judged by God. But, they still found themselves at this place in life. They were asking a very relevant and all important question. How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a Pagan Land? Basically, they were asking; How can we sing worship songs, while we are in a strange and challenging place in life? I think as believers, we need to learn and discipline ourselves, to sing songs of deliverance and healing while in a difficult place. Life is not always going to be comfortable. Life will sometimes embrace suffering. When it does, will you sing a song of the Lord?
Let's look at the next couple of verses:
Psalm 137:4-5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget how to play the harp. May my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I fail to remember you, if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.
Jerusalem represented hope, a place of God's favor, and salvation. We can not ever lose hope, no matter how difficult it gets. We must choose to walk in faith, we must choose to speak faith, we must choose to obey God's Word and Worship the Lord through all life's experiences. When you walk through a challenge or season of suffering, remember that God is with you and for you. Sing a song of the Lord out of obedience to his word, not the circumstance you find yourself. The word will remain faithful, it has through all generations.
We must sing a song of the Lord, even in a strange land! Hope is coming. By the way, the children of Israel found themselves back in Jerusalem a few years later.
