By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps for…our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? Psalm 137:1-4
When the people of Israel arrived in Babylon, they were utterly traumatized. They had endured years of siege warfare, meaning they had spent months hungry and terrified at the army which waited outside their city gates. When the invading army finally made its way in, many people were killed. Those who survived the siege and the war now found themselves in the heart of the enemy’s country. Their captors mocked them, adding insult to injury, by asking them to sing a song of joy.
The people could not imagine singing a joyful song during such a terrible time, so instead they sing songs of lament. In fact, the Book of the Bible known as Lamentations contains song after song written about the trauma of the Exile.
Lament is the process of expressing one’s sadness or frustration to God. It is a holy practice that is cherished in the Bible but is sometimes missing from the church today. People are hesitant to share their sadness with God fearing it makes them look faithless. Often, we rather brush our trauma under the rug rather than process through it.
This passage has a special place in the modern world. In 1970, a Jamaican musical group called The Melodians released a reggae version of this Psalm. It was originally banned because of its Rastafarian background, but, eventually, it became a number one hit and a favorite song in gospel worship. Today, the lament of Israel takes on new meaning when churches sing these words as a call for social justice and Black liberation.
When you face trials or tragedy, you might be tempted to bottle up your pain or dismiss your suffering as lack of faith. However, God wants us to engage with our pain and the tradition of lament helps us do just that. Search your heart. What kind of pain is weighing on your heart? Take it to God through the practice of lament.
Kena Hawkins Newkirk 