Now where did I put my harp?

This morning, as I was having my devotion and quiet time, one verse in Psalm 137 really stood out to me. In this passage, the Israelites are sitting next to the rivers of Babylon. They are very distraught over things that have happened recently in Jerusalem. As they remembered all of the wonderful things about their city, they realized that things in Babylon were much worse than things in Jerusalem had ever been. The verse says, in Psalm 137: 2 "on the Willow trees, in the midst of Babylon, we hung our harps." Did you catch that? The Israelites had hung up their harps on the branches of a weeping willow tree. As I read the verse again, I asked myself some questions… Why would they hang up their harps in the first place? Why did they all have harps? As I continued to read, things became more apparent. The Israelites had been exiled to a foreign land. They had lost hope. In their homeland, they would have been singing and making merriment. They would have been praising their God for his love and protection. Now it seems to them that all hope was gone.

The first mention of harps in the Bible is found in Genesis chapter 4 verse 21. Jubal, was known as the inventor of the harp. The harp was a stringed instrument typically containing tens strings. There were smaller stringed instruments called lyres, which had eight strings. These instruments were used to offer praise to God. Harps were used in times of celebration. Their melodious sounds were captivating and very soothing. In fact, David used a harp to help calm King Saul when his heart was troubled.

Music has always played an important part in my life. It's amazing how it can help me relax when I am feeling stressed. Often times I will play instrumental CDs throughout the day just to promote an atmosphere of peace and relaxation in my home. There's an old saying that is often misquoted. It is misquoted as “music soothes the savage beast.” But in fact, the quotation reads "music has charms to soothe a savage breast." (William Congreve, English playwright and poet.) How interesting! Well I don't really have any breasts for it to soothe, but it can certainly soothe my heart and soul.

 While I enjoy listening to music, I regret to say that I am unable to play any musical instruments with proficiency. I have dabbled in piano, guitar, psaltery, harmonica, and other instruments but have failed miserably at mastering them. I used to have a beautiful singing voice until having thyroid surgery which caused my voice to deepen and become more masculine.

As I thought about the passage in Psalm 137, I wondered to myself if I had hung up my harp. I had to admit that I had not sung or rejoiced since finding out I had cancer. You're probably thinking that's understandable because who would feel like praising or rejoicing in the midst of such devastating circumstances. I felt the same way until this morning. In the midst of my sadness, I realized I needed to sing and make a joyful noise unto the Lord. I realized that my spirit had become low and depressed because of my circumstances. Since music contains the power to lift my spirits, I began to sing. Can you imagine seeing me, sitting in the middle of my bed surrounded by pillows, at five o'clock in the morning, belting out praise songs at the top of my lungs? At first I felt silly and a little uncomfortable, but as I continued to sing, my saddened mood turned to one of joy! I realized that at that very moment, I had picked up my harp again! I had reached up into the Willow tree of despair and plucked my little harp from among the branches. Reclaiming it, I had taken back something that I had lost temporarily… my joy.

The Bible tells me in Psalm 59:16 "but I will sing of your strength in the morning, I will sing of your love for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." No, my voice isn't worthy of any choir in America, but I'm sure that God accepts my offering because He knows my heart and my intentions. I continued to sing for over an hour and during that time my heart was lightened from all the burdens that have been weighing me down for weeks now.

Where is your harp? Have you hung up your harp in the branches of a weeping willow tree? When is the last time you made a joyful noise unto the Lord? It doesn't matter whether or not you can play an instrument, I certainly can't! And even if your voice isn't top-quality, you can sing! Don't let your circumstances dictate whether or not you will be in the mood to make melody. When our hearts are troubled and discouraged is the most opportune time to break out in song. Music does indeed have healing powers and helps to lift our hearts above our circumstances. Why don't you pick up your harp today and try it? I'm sure you'll find that after a few sour notes your attitude will change and the music that emanates from your heart will resound with greatness. Don't let your harp dangle from the branch of a poor Willow tree, hold on tightly to it and let your heart caress those strings with gladness!

Listen to a beautiful Jewish song played on harp

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