“How shall we sing the Lord’s song In a foreign land?” Psalm 137:4
You ever have one of those days? You know, the kind where you wake up excited, get yourself together, and from the time you leave the house to the end of your workday, you wonder, “What in the world is going on!” Yesterday, for as positive as I am, I had such a day! Anything that could’ve gone wrong did go wrong, and I was TIRED of it. I threw my hat on the floor, and I didn’t apologize for it.
I imagine this is how the children of Israel felt when in captivity in Babylon. Though it was of their own disobedience, they just couldn’t catch a break. They went from ruling and having a name synonymous with power and greatness to being slaves. Men had to explain to their sons why they were not free; women had to hasten to shift the joy of little girls. It was a dark day! And just when it seemed to be the worst day ever, their captors came to taunt them. “Sing us a song. Sing us one of your little victory chants like you used to do back in your heyday!” They had no fight. They had no song. Their lives were sick with lament and sorrow, and they said amongst themselves, “now HOW can we even find our voice in such a strange land? Don’t they know we quit singing when we start losing?”
Much like Israel, we forget the power of our voice. Certain consequences we can control easily, while others are beyond us completely. God never asked us to be in charge; He never asked for a song based on our feelings alone. He asked us to keep praise on our lips. Praise is not contingent on what we feel but on who He is and what He is worthy of. The day may have been rainy, but it was a good day. The trial may have been rough, but you grew in it. The divorce, the death, the heartache may have knocked the wind out of you. But isn’t God the One Who breathes? He did not stop breathing life into us with Adam. Every single day, God refreshes and restarts us in a way that does not give us clearance to hang our harps or our hats.
One of my favorite coworkers, “D,” came over and said, “Hey, isn’t that your hat? Why is it on the ground? I know you’re not giving up today? Put that hat back on you; we’re just getting started, and I believe in you!” Much like “D,” God stands in proxy, reminding us of His faith in our ability to get over the rut. Much like “D,” we are never too far from our reminder and our reason. You’ve made it this far; keep going! Pick that hat back up! Find the song in your storm! Find the reason in your season. And know that the day changes with every passing second. You’ll get through this, just like you’ve gotten through every other trial.
The Traveler Weekly 