“How shall we sing the Lord’s song
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!”
Psalm 137:4-5 (NAB)
The Israelites were known for their joyful songs, which were enjoyed by the people of all their surrounding nations. When God’s people were taken captive to Babylon, a foreign land, they lost their desire to sing the joyful songs that they were known for. Instead of singing, they wept all day long in their captivity. Their captors said, “Sing us the joyful songs of Zion!” but their answer is in today’s scripture, “How can we sing in a foreign land?”
Babylon and Jerusalem are more than geographical places, they can represent two different spiritual states of mind. We may be in a Babylon state of mind when we are held captive in some way, either through worry, anxiety, or the inability to forgive someone. Babylon is a proverbial place of captivity, and when we see ourselves as captives, there is no longer singing, because joy has been robbed. In Babylon, we see ourselves as misplaced refugees, rather than the children of God, as He sees us.
The next line in this scripture is a determined self reminder that we must never forget Jerusalem.
Like Babylon, Jerusalem is also more than a geographic place. It’s the state of mind we take ourselves to, where we re-center hope in God, speaking faith to ourselves, and recasting our anchor of trust in Jesus.
In Jerusalem, we let the words of Jesus become living and active, piercing through the lies of the enemy. The enemy’s oldest tactic is to make us to question the truth, but in Jerusalem, we hear Jesus tell us, “You were worth dying for”. We feel overwhelmed by His love, and come to believe every other promise He made to us.
In Jerusalem, the blood of Jesus is still flowing from the cross. His grace and love is still streaming down the hill and throughout the entire city. It reaches every person, wherever we are.
Whatever areas of our mind, soul or spirit are drifting into captivity, when we spiritually revisit that Holy city, we are personally touched by His blood, which transforms us. The never ending, overwhelming love of Jesus sets us free, and we can sing His praises with joy again.
Paul reaffirms this truth in saying,
“In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
Thank you Jesus, for seeing our worth and freeing us from our captivity in Babylon. As we remind ourselves that we belong in Jerusalem, refresh and renew us in the flowing streams of your love and grace. Amen