How can we sing in a strange land?
Psalm 137:4-6(AMP) How can we sing the LORD’S song in a strange and foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her skill with the harp]. Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.
These verses emerge from the period of the Babylonian Exile, around 586 B.C., a time of profound dislocation and despair for the people.
The heart of this Psalm lies in its profound question: How can we sing the Lord’s song in a land not our own? This is a Psalm of deep sadness and pain, where the Psalmist expresses the agony of singing in times of sorrow, without offering an answer.
We often find ourselves in situations that feel alien and hostile, akin to being in a foreign land. In these moments of suffering and pain, it can seem impossible to lift our voices in song to the Lord.
James 5:13(ESV) addresses this duality: Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.
Similarly, Proverbs 25:20(ESV) cautions: Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda.
And Romans 12:15(ESV) advises us to: Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
There are times, as exemplified in Psalm 137, when a broken heart needs silence, not singing. Job 2:12-13(AMP) echoes this sentiment: When they looked from a distance and did not recognize him [because of his disfigurement], they raised their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe [in grief] and they threw dust over their heads toward the sky [in sorrow]. So they sat down on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
Yet, sometimes the most profound songs arise from suffering. The song, It is well with my soul, is a testament to this. Composed by Philip Bliss with lyrics by Horatio G. Spafford, it speaks to the resilience of faith in the face of unimaginable loss. Spafford, a successful attorney, and real estate investor, wrote these words after a series of tragedies, including the loss of his fortune in the great Chicago fire of 1871, the death of his four-year-old son, and the drowning of his four daughters in a shipwreck. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy, and in his grief, Spafford penned this hymn as he crossed the Atlantic Ocean, near where his daughters perished: “When peace like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll—Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to know. It is well, it is well with my soul.” (partial extract).
In conclusion, Philippians 4:6(NIV) reminds us: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. This verse encapsulates the essence of faith in adversity – turning to prayer and praise, regardless of our circumstances, trusting that even in silence or sorrow, our souls can find peace.