5/9/24

“How shall we sing the LORD’s song in a strange land?” Psalm‬ ‭137:4‬ ‭KJV‬‬. In the opening verses of this chapter, the writer is expressing the dismay of the Jews at being captives in the land of Babylon. It says, “They hung their harps on the willows…” which means they had given up their songs of praise to God. And of course, it is human nature to lose our joy and our praise when things are difficult like this. But for God’s true children, let us remember we have received a new nature. And because of this miracle in our souls, there is a way to keep our songs to God. There is a way to keep the joy of the Lord in our souls, even in the worst of circumstances. And that way is, to remember our God! To focus our minds upon Who God is and the wonderful things He has done. Even though we live in a wicked world which is opposed to godliness, we can maintain the praise of God in our hearts if we will focus on the right things. The Apostle Paul, after all the difficulties he faced, wrote in Philippians 4:8, that we are to “think on these things”. Whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. And while it may be difficult to see these things around us, we can always see them when we lift our eyes and look to Jesus! By God’s grace, let’s look to Jesus, and we will have a song of joy, even in this strange land.

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