"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!'
How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?"
Psalm 137:1-4
O Lord, how painful this experience must have been for the Israelites, as their captors asked them to entertain them with joyful songs, but their hearts were still heavy with the loss of their homeland and freedom. Father, let this psalm be a reminder to us to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). Let this psalm be a reminder to us to be compassionate to those who are mourning.
For those of us who relate with the pain expressed in this psalm, for those of us mourning the loss of some good thing that is now gone, we pray that you would draw near to us and comfort us. In Psalm 137, the Israelites lamented. But they lamented to you, because they knew you were still listening to their prayers. They knew you still cared for them. They knew you would ultimately deliver them, and in the meantime, they knew you would comfort them and sustain them as they awaited their day of salvation. Lord, we pray, draw near to us and encourage us today. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.
