DAILY BIBLE DEVOTION

 

I REMEMBER

The exiles in Babylon were being

forced to sing "Yahweh's" songs

and they were really not happy!

Every time they sang of Jerusalem,

of God's goodness they were

reminded of what they had lost.

Music is an interesting force in our

lives even if we're not aware of it.

Think about when you were first in

school, how did you learn the

alphabet? I bet you sang the

letters. Music can trigger

memories either good or not. Why

is it that couples have "their"

song? And if the couple breaks up,

that same song is painful to hear

rather than joyous. For the

Israelites their liturgical songs,

their victory songs, all brought

awareness of the fact that they

were in exile because they had

abandoned their God. This singer

vows that he would rather lose his

hands -that play the instrument -

and his tongue - his ability to sing

- than to give in to his captors.

The hymns we sing in our

churches are prayers. Just as the

book of Psalms was and is the

hymnal and prayer book for the

Jewish people. The hymns, more

than sermons last in our

memories. If you don't believe me,

try to remember the last three

sermons you heard, and then

remember your three favorite

hymns. We remember "In the

Garden" when we need to be

comforted by God's presence;

"Rock of Ages" reminds us of God's

saving acts. "Let There Be Peace on

Earth" is an anthem that

gatherings in churches and in

communities unite to sing as a

prayer of hope. I'm sure you can

think of other hymns that have

meaning for you. Think of how you

would feel if you were in exile and

were forced to sing these songs by

your captors so that they could

mock you. And then how you

would feel if all of this was your

own fault. The psalms have been

kept alive for us so that we can

relate to our ancestors in faith and

know that we have a God who

understands us as he understood

them.

PRAYER

Lord, may the music of our hearts

bring us ever closer to you and

remind us of the great love you

have for us. Amen.