Don't Hang Your Harp!

 

Psalm 137

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
² There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
³ for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

⁴ How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?

I am such a visual learner and these pictures of my baby boy speak so much to me.  Some of you who know me may have decided that we have the plague over here.  It seems like there is no area that the enemy is leaving untouched and as I have said, I am not one to blame everything on the devil.  We live in a fallen world.  Our righteousness is as filthy rags...it's only Christ in us that is our hope.  Yet our adversary wants to take any ground that we have gained victory over, and lure us back to sin like a dog returning to her vomit.  He wants to oppress us and wear us down.  He wants to steal our witness, our effectiveness, our joy.  I loved learning the warfare tactics that the Assyrians were known for: psychological warfare, battering rams, diversion of water ways where they crept up under and took over cities, and tunnelling. Right now I have felt assaulted when it comes to having a sound mind so to speak.  Just dwelling on things that are not true according to God's word.  OH HOLD THE PHONE can we talk about what a number the enemy does with us regarding pyschological warfare.  He wants us to live in defeat and lay down in that defeat until we just make our bed in it. Battering rams...the times I just feel so beat up, especially by other believers.  You know what I am talking about if you have lived any amount of time, it's the whole lets come against her and just beat her up with accusation, past sins, or condemnation. DIVERSION of water ways: As they diverted channels of water to sneak in under a wall we become so diverted by the material things that will be shaken when the earth is refined by fire.  We lose sight that our battle really is being waged in the heavenlies, in an unseen realm...it's not about flesh and blood yet we waste so much time biting and devouring one another that you know the enemy is laughing in our faces when the world is supposed to know believers by their love and instead we are busy getting down and dirty in the mud with one another. The Lord has taught me through the book of Nehemiah about walls in our lives and how they can be broken down or how the enemy wants to make a mockery of Gods people by baiting us and us falling for it and being ensnared.  Then, he has all kinds of leverage to mess with us because of our disobedience.  One of my favorite passages thus far is Psalm 130 and I truly believe that there is full redemption for anyone with a track record and unfortunately a lot of times that is believers who allowed a little here and a little there in areas of compromise and our walls just got broken down, or burned down by us pouring the gas around us and lighting the match.  Or maybe someone deeply offended us, betrayed us.  Whatever it is we have a mess on our hands and what are we going to do?

Don't hang your harp while the enemy taunts you!  He will want you to sing songs about how great your God is when you have blown it and are experiencing repercussions of the chastisement from sin.  Don't you dare quit praising because you fell short or jumped head long into sin.  Don't put your bible down.  Don't quit your praise.  He will send forth His word and heal you and rescue you from yourself and the enemy.  Keep on with Jesus when the enemy is at your heels. 

So, we know that God's chosen people, whom He set His affections on, lived under oppresion.  I am always in need of Him filling up what I lack. The enemy wants to take you back to your land of slavery, rob you of your joy, and get you to quit! DON'T LET HIM!  He does not have that right.  I've kidded with some lately but I'm so serious.  I picture myself elbowing my brothers and sisters in Christ when we are in glory (since there will be no more pain) and jumping pews to get to the front row without spilling my cherry limeade that never runs out or my junior mints...so I can see the enemy and his cohorts meet their fate.  They have gloated so much over some of us.  Let's not let the enemy get any victory over us if we can help it.  May sin that was once so pleasurable to us be such a stench that we know the cost of leaving the God we love and saying you know what...that's not worth it to me.  Anyway, as much as he has gloated over us don't you know we are going to get to gloat over him!  I am getting a front row seat to see him get his tail whooped.  I'm just saying! 

Let's keep longing for His appearance and panting for Him like a deer panting for streams of water.  He is Life and He gives us weary sojourners dignity!