"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept when we remembered Zion. We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song,..saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?'" (Psalm 137:1-4)
Are you, "by the rivers of Babylon," today? When you "remember," do you just sit down and weep, or do you take your harp from the willow tree and sing, "one of the songs of Zion"? Life does not always work out the way we expected or want. But the choice between, "we wept," and, "Sing...one of the songs of Zion," is always before us.
I am rereading some of Bonhoeffer's works. I have always wondered what Germany and the rest of the world would have been like had he lived. I have said at times, "It's too bad he had to die so young." But let me give you a short list of people who died "so young." John Wycliffe was 54 when he died. George Whitefield was 56 when he died. David Brainerd was 29; Dwight Moody was 62; Charles Spurgeon was 58; Bonhoeffer was 39; our son, Stephen, was 4 years 11 months. Good people do not always live to be "a ripe old age." There has always been a subtle belief, and sometimes not so subtle, that if a person dies young, or even before the, "three score and ten," there must have been something wrong with them. You and I need to be very careful as to what we call "favor," "spirituality," "anointed." I have heard "preachers" at time speak of "untimely deaths;" there can be such. But there can also be "anointed deaths," if you will, people who perhaps squeezed more out of life in their short life span than many of us do in a 70-100 year life span. Life's unanswered questions may seem like, "in a foreign land," to us, but the choice of weeping in defeat or singing in victory "there," or in whatever state we might find ourselves, has always been before humanity.
Our text speaks of a people who had their life's dream come to an end. They did not believe the prophets, the promises of God, so they, " wept when we remembered...." Life can do this to us. We all have and have had dreams, expectations of life, and we all brought them to our new life in Jesus. The process of conversion is a process of bringing our dreams and expectations to His "dreams and expectations." I doubt that there is anyone on the planet who can say that all of his/her dreams and expectations have been fulfilled, and in most case that is a good thing. But it is precisely at this point you and I have a choice. We can either hang, "our harps upon the willows in the midst of it," or we can, "sing...one of the songs of Zion!" I want to choose the latter, though I have not always. Yet it is singing, "one of the songs of Zion," while, "in the midst of it," which will bring victory in Jesus Christ, in His "Song,"------------------------------- even when, "in a foreign land".
Father, in Jesus' Name, in whatever "land" I have found myself, I thank You that I have always had a harp and a song to sing. Amen.
Are you, "by the rivers of Babylon," today? When you "remember," do you just sit down and weep, or do you take your harp from the willow tree and sing, "one of the songs of Zion"? Life does not always work out the way we expected or want. But the choice between, "we wept," and, "Sing...one of the songs of Zion," is always before us.
I am rereading some of Bonhoeffer's works. I have always wondered what Germany and the rest of the world would have been like had he lived. I have said at times, "It's too bad he had to die so young." But let me give you a short list of people who died "so young." John Wycliffe was 54 when he died. George Whitefield was 56 when he died. David Brainerd was 29; Dwight Moody was 62; Charles Spurgeon was 58; Bonhoeffer was 39; our son, Stephen, was 4 years 11 months. Good people do not always live to be "a ripe old age." There has always been a subtle belief, and sometimes not so subtle, that if a person dies young, or even before the, "three score and ten," there must have been something wrong with them. You and I need to be very careful as to what we call "favor," "spirituality," "anointed." I have heard "preachers" at time speak of "untimely deaths;" there can be such. But there can also be "anointed deaths," if you will, people who perhaps squeezed more out of life in their short life span than many of us do in a 70-100 year life span. Life's unanswered questions may seem like, "in a foreign land," to us, but the choice of weeping in defeat or singing in victory "there," or in whatever state we might find ourselves, has always been before humanity.
Our text speaks of a people who had their life's dream come to an end. They did not believe the prophets, the promises of God, so they, " wept when we remembered...." Life can do this to us. We all have and have had dreams, expectations of life, and we all brought them to our new life in Jesus. The process of conversion is a process of bringing our dreams and expectations to His "dreams and expectations." I doubt that there is anyone on the planet who can say that all of his/her dreams and expectations have been fulfilled, and in most case that is a good thing. But it is precisely at this point you and I have a choice. We can either hang, "our harps upon the willows in the midst of it," or we can, "sing...one of the songs of Zion!" I want to choose the latter, though I have not always. Yet it is singing, "one of the songs of Zion," while, "in the midst of it," which will bring victory in Jesus Christ, in His "Song,"------------------------------- even when, "in a foreign land".
Father, in Jesus' Name, in whatever "land" I have found myself, I thank You that I have always had a harp and a song to sing. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
