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Alongside Babylon's rivers we sat on the banks; we cried and cried, remembering the good old days in Zion. Alongside the quaking aspens we stacked our unplayed harps; That's where our captors demanded songs, sarcastic and mocking: "Sing us a happy Zion song!" Oh, how could we ever sing God's song in this wasteland? If I ever forget you, Jerusalem, let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves. Let my tongue swell and turn black if I fail to remember you, If I fail, O dear Jerusalem, to honor you as my greatest. God, remember those Edomites, and remember the ruin of Jerusalem, That day they yelled out, "Wreck it, smash it to bits!" And you, Babylonians - ravagers! A reward to whoever gets back at you for all you've done to us; Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their heads on the rocks! (Psalm 137)
I thank God that I have never been carried off to a place where I did not want to be; some appointments have come close, but never to the point where I felt like the psalmist as he shares the exiles' point of view. These were prisoners of war, who were defeated and carried off by captors. They left the familiar waters of the Jordan to find themselves along the rivers of Babylon. The sight of a strange river made them cry and cry, longing to again see the familiar things of home. (I take back what I said at the first; in 1965 we were carried off by my parents from Kingsville to Houston and nights there were especially scary and lonely; the five of us longed for the days back in what we knew. Once we knew Houston, it was a different story.) These people were mocked for being where they were and who they were now; "Sing us songs from where you come from!" The response is how can we sing a praise song to God in this terrible God-forsaken place? And then that verse that haunts its presence in the Bible: "Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies and smashes their head on the rocks!" Ouch. Did I say that out loud? It's the pits that they had reached and their anger got the better of them; and some may have truly meant it, but those who are of decent heart and love for God would not; a further reflection though, of what honesty the Bible does present, words of a defeated people, filled with anger and a desire for revenge. The theme of this week in the Lectionary is truly, "God give me more faith in all that I face," and this certainly qualifies.
Whatever your condition now; whether you're happy or not, reflect on what God has for you to do right where you are right now, and then do it. The tears of the night give way to laughter in the morning when we realize that each new day brings with it new opportunities to truly shine and be the person God has called us to be.
PRAYER: Loving God, may our anger never reach the depths of despair that make us say and think things we shouldn't. Grant to us newness of mind, spirit, and purpose for all that is still before us. In Christ Jesus' precious name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
