How can we sing praise to God in the midst of suffering? Can we trust God to bring justice in an unjust world? Where does our joy come from?
Psalm 137 invites us to lament and pour out our hearts to the Lord as we encounter hardship and sadness. In this Psalm, the same people who brought ruthless destruction on God’s people are mocking God. The oppressors are demanding songs of joy from their slaves, the Israelites.
I am encouraged by the psalmist’s resolve to remember the faithfulness and holiness of the Lord.
“Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!” (v. 6)
The psalmist will trust in the Lord in the midst of this oppression and find joy in the presence of the Lord. He remembers that our Father will bring ultimate justice (v. 8-9).
I have not experienced oppression in the way the Israelites did. However, I have experienced slavery due to my own sin. Recently our Father reminded me that He is still at work to set me free in the way I struggle with money/budgeting (wanting to cling to every penny). I felt drained after a weekend full of painful conversations with my lovely wife. I said some things that I regret. The Lord offered me His hand and filled me with hope for a day when we can have peaceful and tender conversations regarding our budget. That day is coming as we learn to trust the Lord to provide more than our own ability to budget perfectly.
Let’s pray: Father, thank you that our joy is in your presence, not in our fortunes here on earth. You are our perfect Father, and we are your children. Thank you for providing all we need. By your strength and power, we will remember your faithfulness and cling to you in hardship. Our reward is not in this life but in the next. If I do nothing else, I will praise you, the one true God, who brings me joy in His presence.
—Ryan Kernes