Scripture Focus: Psalm 137.1
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
Psalm 138.6-8
6 Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Student Writers Month is here: The student writers featured from July 15 to August 9 have received free coaching, ministry training, and seminars by special guests in addition to this publishing opportunity, the ability to re-publish their work elsewhere, and a stipend/scholarship for their work. A portion of all donations during these dates will be applied to the students’ stipends/scholarships. Find out more about the students at this link or give a one-time or recurring gift at this link.
Reflection: Out of Place Praise
By Rachel Schuck
Have you ever been far away from home, yearning to be surrounded by the familiar people and places you love? Life loses some of its sparkle in the grueling years of waiting to return. Even beloved hobbies and means of expression, such as music, fall out of practice at the seat of dejection. Psalm 137 is a sorrowful hymn that expresses the Jews’ longing for Jerusalem during the Babylonian exile.
Psalm 137 has inspired many songs across genres and cultures that give voice to the sorrow and aching of laboring as strangers in a foreign land. Listen to Marion William’s “Mean Old World” as an example.
As God’s sons and daughters living in a broken world, we experience daily encounters with our out-of-placeness. (Hebrews 13.14-15; 1 Chronicles 29.15; Psalms 119:19; Matthew 5.13-16) However, Jesus’s sacrifice provides a wholeness beyond our grasp. Our yearning for this wholeness comes from an understanding of the complete righteousness of God and the ways our experiences on this earth fall short (Revelation 21.5; Matthew 5.17).
Paul expresses this yearning poignantly at the end of his first letter to the Corinthian church as he signs “Maranatha,” meaning “the Lord comes,” or more imperatively, “Come, Lord!” (1 Corinthians 16.21-24).
From Neo-Babylonian exile, to the early Church, to the trials of today, we are each implicated in the expansive biblical narrative of God’s plan for creation. We are characters in God’s story of salvation that continually points to the cross. It is right to grieve separation from and yearn to be united with God. So how do we respond in a productive way to this grief and yearning?The Lord, through David’s song of praise in Psalm 138, provides an answer: worship and song! David voices the reason for the hope that we have—hope that transcends our status as outsiders in this broken world.
God is unswervingly loving, faithful, and true to his word. He answers our cries for deliverance and empowers us in his name. His glory is worthy of praise from his children and their enemies alike. While it is important to grieve our lostness, it is even more powerful to praise God in the midst of our exile and worship despite it all. How will you turn your cries of out-of-placeness into songs of praise?
Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
But as for me, I am poor and needy; come to me speedily, O God. — Psalm 70.5
– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.
Today’s Readings
Isaiah 62 (Listen 2:09)
Psalms 137-138 (Listen 2:13)
This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 63 (Listen 3:25), Psalms 139 (Listen 2:26)
Isaiah 64 (Listen 2:01), Psalms 140-141 (Listen 2:44)
Read more about An Undefiled Heart
I’ve never heard of an “Ezekiel fast” but “Daniel fasts” have massive popularity…we’d prefer Daniel’s struggle to Ezekiel’s.
Read more about Resisting in Faith
Whatever we would resist, and whatever we would wish to change in our culture, we cannot do it using the worldly strategies that surround us.
