Don't Sell the Harp!

“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,
And those who plundered us requested mirth,
Saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’
How shall we sing the Lord’s song
In a foreign land?
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
Let my right hand forget its skill!
If I do not remember you,
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth—
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
Above my chief joy.”
 
Psalm 137:1-6 nkjv

   

Rivers of Babylon

Jeff & Sheri Easter - Rivers of Babylon [Live] - YouTube

 

Dear Reader,        

          The Psalm above shares the cries of the Jewish people held in captivity. Ripped from their homeland, they sorrowed to the point they couldn’t sing the songs of God that lived in their hearts, so they hung up their harps, not imagining they’d ever use them again.

          To make matters worse, their captors tormented them to sing, knowing full well how distressed they were.

          Yet, in time, the captives hearts were restored, their joy returned, and they took down their harps and lifted their voices to the Lord.

          Have you ever been so hurt you cannot fathom healing? Have you, too, “hung up your harp?”

          Although I may not have been through the same hurt as you and definitely haven’t experienced the level of the hurts our world is enduring now, all grief holds something in common.

          Decades ago, my husband and I hung up our harps. Weighed down by the circumstances of our grief and pain, we literally could not sing. Not a note. I wouldn’t’ve dreamt then that we’d ever sing again when we could barely face the next day.

          But eventually we did. It didn’t happen overnight. In fact, the healing took decades as the Holy Spirit ministered to us in our brokenness and eventually led us to the willow tree where we’d hung our harps.

          There they were. Waiting.

          Reader, your weeping may endure for a night—or countless nights. But Joy does come in the morning! Psalm 30:5 That’s promised!

          So, dear one, please consider these words:

1)     Don’t sell the harp! It’s okay for it to hang in the willow tree for all the time you need to move forward in your healing journey.

2)     When you’re ready, take down that harp. Dust it. Tune it. Run your fingers across the strings. Pluck a few. You may try playing a simple song, most likely hesitate, then try again.

3)     Now add your voice. That takes great courage, but you can do it! Tears will fall, but you also might find you get through a stanza.

4)     The next time, you may yearn to sing more than one verse. Try looking to Heaven as you lift your voice. Tears may still well in your eyes, but you’ll notice you feel some better. Good job!

5)     It might very well catch you unaware when one day you realize mid-song that Joy harmonizes with you, lightening your heart—something you never expected when you hung up that harp so very long ago; something you would’ve never realized if you’d sold it.

          There’s a great secret—maybe not so secret—that some don’t know, but you will learn now. Here it is:

          When a song’s been restored after brokenness—after the incident that made you hang up your harp—it possesses a richness, a depth of purpose it didn’t have before you were hurt. Before you grieved.

          The song lives, and so now will you. Your song will never be the same. It’ll be better.

          And you just may find yourself saying, “I’m so glad I didn’t sell my harp!”

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Cynthia Clawson - Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus [Live] (youtube.com)

 

 

#captivejews #hangingupharps #lostsong #grief #pain #sadness #music #Godrestores #Joy #sing

 

(Disclaimer: I’m not a professional counselor. My advice simply comes from

what I’ve gleaned during my own grief journey & walk with God.)

 

Photo Credit: creazilla.com