Don’t Hang Up Your Harp

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.

There on the willows, we hung our harps,

For there our captors requested a song; our tormentors demanded songs of joy:

Sing us a song of Zion.”

Psalm 137: 1-3 (BSB)

            By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept. Does this sound like you? Perhaps your Babylon represents loss; lost job, lost relationship, lost dreams. Perhaps it’s physical or financial. Maybe it’s simply a season of unwelcome changes. Whatever your Babylon, your grief is very real and has engendered feelings of discouragement and defeat.

            I’ll be honest with you: I encountered my own Babylon this past summer. A series of painful losses almost led me to quit—quit writing, quit trying. I mean, what’s the point, right? I was seriously considering hanging up my harp.

Until God reminded me that’s exactly where the enemy wants me. He wants to thwart the gift God has placed inside of me. He flaunts our losses before our very eyes then taunts, “Sing us a song!”

            It is worth noting that the Psalmist doesn’t state, “If you’re feeling happy, then praise the Lord,” or “If you’re in a good place, praise the Lord!” On the contrary, David penned many of the Psalms in some of his deepest and darkest moments. And in those moments of utter discouragement, he refused to hang up his harp. It simply wasn’t an option. Instead, he picked up his harp and sang praises to the Lord, His refuge and salvation.

            Are you about to hang up your harp? Has discouragement led you to the banks of defeat? Though you might not be able to change your circumstances, you can choose how you will respond. Your song is your weapon in the face of discouragement. Even if all you have left is a feeble hallelujah, sing it out loud anyway. Hang on to harp and don’t concede to the enemy. For the Lord will comfort His people and will have compassion on them (Isaiah 49:13).

A Prayer: Lord, you see my thoughts, you know my heart. When I am at my lowest, please remind me not to hang up my harp but to praise you, regardless of my circumstances. Put a song in my heart so when the devil whispers discouragement in my ear, my praises drown him out. Joyful, indeed, are those who praise the Lord.

For further reading:

• Psalm 40:3
• Psalm 144:9
• Psalm 77:6
• Psalm 34:1