URC Daily Devotion 9 August 2026
By the rivers of Babylon
there we sat and wept,
remembering Zion;
on the poplars that grew there
we hung up our harps.
For it was there that they asked us,
our captors, for songs,
our oppressors, for joy.
“Sing to us,” they said,
“one of Zion’s songs.”
O how could we sing
the song of the Lord
on alien soil?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand wither!
O let my tongue
cleave to my mouth
if I remember you not,
if I prize not Jerusalem
above all my joys!
Remember, O Lord,
against the people of Edom
the day of Jerusalem;
when they said: “Tear it down!
Tear it down to its foundations!”
O Babylon, destroyer,
they are happy who repay you
the ills you brought on us.
They shall seize and shall dash
your children on the rock!
Reflection
It is hard looking back at difficult times and not to feel resentment, as the Psalmist does. Although penned on the return to Jerusalem, the scarred city didn’t bring much joy either. The city walls were broken down and the Temple destroyed. Yes, they couldn’t sing their songs in a strange land, but it wasn’t much easier singing them back at home.
Things might seem tough for us, but this Psalm reminds us of the suffering of people from Ukraine, Gaza, the West Bank, and all who have had to flee famine, war, and persecution who don’t have much to sing about.
The taunts of the captors, asking the exiles to sing songs of Zion, rubbed salt in their wounds. But if they had sung those songs, their hope and identity would be kept alive. Singing is important for resilience. Singing those songs would have been a witness to the God who was greater than the gods of Babylon. The God who rescued them from slavery in Egypt could and would, as he promised them, release them again.
For many years we believed that the world we live in is sceptical of faith. We now find ourselves surprised to learn that sales of Bibles are up and young people are coming to Church with their questions. We wondered how we could sing our songs of faith in the alien world we found ourselves in and yet people are now listening for our songs.
So, let’s keep singing of our faith which will build up our resilience even in the challenges of the past and present. And it is a song that we are surprised to learn that people want to hear.
The concluding words of the Psalm are shocking, and many would want to overlook them. And yet in their barbarity they have a powerful message. The days of the old kingdom are numbered and will not grow and prosper. A new kingdom, God’s kingdom is coming and will be victorious.
Prayer
Lord, plant in our hearts the songs of faith and hope.
Give us voice to sing these out to strengthen us
and to proclaim your goodness and love.
May your songs never be silenced
but be music to the ears of the world. Amen