- Why Are Your Harps in the Willows?

Background Scripture: Psalm 137–138; 46
Lesson Scripture: Psalm 137:1–6; 138:3, 6–8; 46:1–5

Introduction

At times it may seem almost impossible to have a song in our heart amid the troubles that befall us. However, it is God’s plan for us to live joyfully, with peace in our hearts and our minds at rest. The Lord has made provisions for this to be possible, even though the song we sing may not be one that resounds from the heart in peals of joy. Rather, the song of resigned devotion, sung in life’s darkest hour, deeply touches the heart of God. Let us take heart and look up for “every morning mercies new fall as fresh as morning dew.” 1

Key Verse

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace (Ps. 29:11).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

The setting of our lesson comes near the end of Israel’s captivity in Babylon. Many years had passed since the Israelite people had seen their homeland. To the elderly it was but a distant memory. The young, hearing the wonders of that far-off land, longed to return. Heartache, like a heavy cloud, cast a shadow over their lives and threatened to overwhelm them. Fearful lest they or their little ones should cease to remember for good the great God of their fathers and the holy city of Jerusalem, these oppressed wanderers cried out to the Lord for deliverance.

Locked in the heart of these exiles were the songs that had been sung since ancient times. This music, used for worship as well as sung to lift the burdens of everyday life was overheard by their cruel and vengeful captors. We can only imagine, but perhaps the poignant beauty of these hymns made an impression on those that heard them. But now the instruments of music together with the heartstrings of these unfortunate souls were silent. The Babylonians, whether for their own enjoyment or perhaps to torment their captives, began to ask for these songs to be sung at their bidding. It seemed an unbearable sacrilege to use sacred hymns to gratify the desires of the heathen.

The state of Christians in these end times can parallel this captive state of the Israelites. Held against their will in an environment that was not conducive to true worship, the Jews longed for their homeland and for deliverance to come. Likewise, Christians today are surrounded by evil, living their lives as pilgrims in search of a better country. Often the all-consuming effects of sin in the world take away our song and leave us longing for our heavenly home and its eternal rest.

Practical Truths for Today

When God created the garden of Eden, it was his intent that humans would live in a state of happiness. This garden was a place of unmarred beauty, surpassed only by heaven itself. Crowning this splendor was the state of perfect unity that Adam and Eve enjoyed with each other and their Creator. When Satan entered with his temptation, man disobeyed God’s command and fell into sin, and everything changed. It is impossible to comprehend the sum of human suffering incurred by this fatal choice. The curse of sin has blighted every aspect of our existence. All physical suffering, every troubled relationship, and the cry of souls stained by sin testify that Satan rules in the affairs of this world. Spiritual decadence, like a shroud of darkness, pervades the atmosphere of human existence. This deteriorated and oppressive state often taxes the Christian. There are times when it seems that “days are filled with sorrow and care, hearts are lonely and drear.” 2

Our happiness in life is a choice, and acceptance is found by surrendering our will to God. Any circumstance that causes us to reach out to God has value to our soul. By faith we choose to trust God and to believe in His promises. Through faith we can say, “Thank you for the valley I walked thru today; the darker the valley the more I learn to pray.” 3 We choose to give our unfulfilled ambitions and dreams to the One who cares, “for [we] know, whate’er befall [us], Jesus doeth all things well.” 4 To those who have borne the burdens of sickness or death the question comes, “Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth and song; As the burdens press, and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?” 5 Financial difficulties can rob us of our song. When every waking moment is spent wondering how the Lord will provide, it is of great comfort to know that “my Jesus knows just what I need . . . He satisfies, and every need supplies, Yes, He knows just what I need.” 6 To have the assurance that the One who sees the sparrow fall holds the whole world in the palm of His hand and that “underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27) gives rest to our hearts and restores our song.

Each of us faces trauma and hardship in life, some to a greater degree than others. Multiplied sorrows were the first effect of the curse placed on man, and no one is exempt (Gen. 3:16–17). Physical handicaps and debilitating diseases place a heavy burden on many people. Equally great are the emotional scars caused by abuses that come in many forms. Broken trust has a devastating effect on those who have been abused. To have been taken advantage of or to have been falsely accused by someone who was trusted is a blow that can threaten to overwhelm us. These trying circumstances can undermine our faith in God. It is a challenge to surrender our sense of justice to our heavenly Father, leaving with Him the right to sort through life’s tangled web.

However, God gives sufficient grace to overcome these challenges, sometimes asking us to share our load with others. A divided burden is more easily carried, and a diminished sense of aloneness is helpful. For those who have been abused to find rest for their souls and to have an abiding peace in their hearts will require a miracle of God’s healing. Wounded hearts, made whole by the hand of God, have a beauty that testifies to the healing touch of the great Physician.

When the saved of all the earth are gathered in heaven, we will see clearly the wounds that our Savior bears. These scars tell of a battle that was fought and the victory that was won. Perhaps we will see the scars of our fellow believers as well and will realize that these marks speak of victories that were won through the power of Christ. There is no greater peace than that of the redeemed, and there is no song heard like the song of the redeemed. To praise God in life is only a foretaste of what it will be like to be part of that innumerable, heavenly choir.

Questions

1. Do I have a lack of faith if the trials of life take away my song?
2. Singing dissipates trouble and lifts our hearts heavenward. How can we cultivate the ministry of song as a way to share each other’s burdens?
3. 1 Greville Philimore (1821–1884), “Every Morning Mercies New”
4. 2 John M. Moore (b. 1925), “Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary”
5. 3 Dottie Rambo (1934–2008), “Thank You for the Valley”
6. 4 Fanny J. Crosby (1820–1915), “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me”
7. 5 Frank E. Graeff (1860–1919), “Does Jesus Care?
8. 6 Mosie Lister (1921–2015), “He Knows Just What I Need”
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).