Finding Hope and Healing in Honest Lament

Psalm 137 is a song of exile, a raw and honest outpouring from a musician who has lost everything—home, community, and the very context in which his music once brought joy. Sitting by the rivers of Babylon, the exiles are consumed with grief, unable to sing the songs of Zion for their captors. The psalm is not just a historical lament; it is a deeply personal and embodied response to trauma, a refusal to let the oppressors take the last remnants of dignity and agency. The act of hanging up the lyre is more than a temporary pause; it is a ritual act of resistance, a way of saying, “You may have taken my land and my people, but you will not take my soul.”

The psalmist’s struggle is not only with external loss but with the internal battle of memory and forgetting. Trauma often fragments memory, yet the psalmist insists on remembering Jerusalem, even if it means embracing the pain and the physical symptoms that come with it. This is not a denial of suffering but a courageous movement through it, allowing the full force of grief and rage to be expressed. The curse at the end of the psalm, shocking as it is, reflects the depth of the wound and the need to voice even the darkest emotions as part of the healing process.

This journey through Psalm 137 invites us to honor our own experiences of loss and trauma, to recognize the dignity in honest lament, and to see that God is present even when we cannot name Him. The psalm dignifies the process of moving through pain, not by suppressing it, but by allowing it to flow through us, trusting that there is life and music beyond the rage. It reminds us that our sacred songs, our acts of creativity and resistance, can be part of our healing and the healing of our communities. In the end, the hope is not just to survive, but to celebrate again, to play and sing for the life of the world, and to join in the tender, healing way of Jesus.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The Power of Honest Lament: Psalm 137 models a radical honesty before God, refusing to sanitize or suppress the pain of trauma. The psalmist’s willingness to voice even the most difficult emotions, including rage and despair, is not a sign of spiritual failure but a path toward healing. God meets us in our rawest places, and our most honest prayers are still sacred. [05:15]
• 2. Resistance Through Agency: The act of hanging up the lyre is a profound gesture of agency in the face of powerlessness. By refusing to perform for his captors, the musician asserts his dignity and refuses to let his art be co-opted by those who have harmed him. Sometimes, resistance means stepping away, preserving what is sacred for a future hope rather than allowing it to be corrupted. [16:52]
• 3. The Embodied Nature of Trauma and Memory: The psalmist’s struggle with remembering and forgetting is deeply physical—his right hand, his tongue, his dry mouth. Trauma is not just a mental or spiritual battle; it is experienced in the body. Healing often involves listening to our bodies, honoring their responses, and allowing ourselves to move through pain rather than around it. [26:49]
• 4. The Necessity of Expressing Rage: The imprecatory verses, while disturbing, serve a vital function in the process of healing from trauma. The psalmist’s “revenge fantasy” is not a call to violence but an honest reckoning with the depth of his wound. Allowing space for these emotions prevents dissociation and opens the possibility for movement beyond rage, toward hope and restoration. [33:04]
• 5. Hope Beyond the Trauma: Even in the midst of exile and unspeakable loss, the psalmist’s longing is ultimately for restoration—to play, to sing, to celebrate, to experience peace. Christian hope does not deny the reality of suffering but trusts that God is present in the darkness and that there is life beyond the rage. Our sacred songs and creative acts can become instruments of healing, both for ourselves and for our communities. [34:54]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:06] - Personal Connection to Psalm 137
• [04:17] - Historical Context: Exile and Oppression
• [05:15] - The Cry of Rage and Powerlessness
• [06:14] - Approaching the Psalm: Tools and Structure
• [09:02] - The Trauma of Exile: Grief by the Rivers
• [11:05] - Genocide and Collective Memory
• [12:48] - The Theme of Place and Longing for Home
• [14:03] - The Demand to Perform: Trauma and Dignity
• [16:52] - Hanging Up the Lyre: Resistance and Agency
• [19:28] - The Significance of the Instrument
• [21:27] - Personal Reflections on Music and Trauma
• [23:44] - Remembering and Forgetting: The Battle of Memory
• [25:38] - Embodied Trauma and the Fight to Remember
• [29:32] - The Curse: Rage, Revenge, and Healing
• [34:54] - Hope Beyond Rage: Restoration and Celebration
• [36:22] - God’s Presence in the Darkest Places
• [39:05] - Music as Integration and Prayer

Bible Reading

Psalm 137 (ESV) —
> 1 By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
> 2 On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
> 3 For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
> 4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?
> 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
> 6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!
> 7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem, how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare, down to its foundations!”
> 8 O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed, blessed shall he be who repays you with what you have done to us!
> 9 Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!

Observation Questions

1. What emotions are expressed by the psalmist in the opening verses as they sit by the rivers of Babylon? ([09:02])
2. What is the significance of the exiles hanging up their lyres on the willows? What does this action communicate? ([16:52])
3. In verses 5-6, what does the psalmist say should happen if he forgets Jerusalem? How does this relate to his identity as a musician? ([24:24])
4. What kind of language does the psalmist use in verses 8-9, and why might these words be so shocking to us today? ([29:32])

Interpretation Questions

1. The psalmist refuses to sing for his captors and instead hangs up his lyre. What does this act of resistance say about agency and dignity in the face of trauma? ([16:52])
2. The psalmist insists on remembering Jerusalem, even though it brings pain and physical symptoms. Why might it be important to remember, rather than forget, after a traumatic event? ([26:49])
3. The curse at the end of the psalm is disturbing. How does expressing even the darkest emotions help in the process of healing, according to the sermon? ([33:04])
4. The psalmist’s struggle is not just spiritual or mental, but also physical (right hand, tongue, dry mouth). What does this teach us about the nature of trauma and the path to healing? ([26:49])

Application Questions

1. The sermon described the act of hanging up the lyre as a way of saying, “You may have taken my land and my people, but you will not take my soul.” Have you ever had to step away from something you love in order to protect your dignity or well-being? What was that like for you? ([16:52])
2. The psalmist chooses to remember Jerusalem, even though it hurts. Is there a painful memory in your life that you tend to avoid? What might it look like to face it honestly, as the psalmist does? ([26:49])
3. The sermon talked about the importance of expressing rage and grief, rather than suppressing them. How do you usually deal with strong emotions like anger or sadness? Are there ways you could allow yourself to express them more honestly before God? ([33:04])
4. The psalmist’s trauma is experienced in his body—his right hand, his tongue, his dry mouth. When you are under stress or going through loss, how does your body respond? What might it look like to listen to your body as part of your healing? ([26:49])
5. The hope in Psalm 137 is not just to survive, but to celebrate again—to play and sing for the life of the world. Is there a creative act (music, art, writing, etc.) that has helped you heal or express your journey? How could you use your creativity as part of your own or your community’s healing? ([34:54])
6. The sermon said that God is present even when we cannot name Him, and that our most honest prayers are still sacred. Have you ever felt unable to pray or name God in a hard season? What helped you keep going? ([36:22])
7. The psalmist’s journey moves from rage to hope. Where are you on that journey right now? What would it look like for you to trust that there is life and music beyond the rage? ([34:54])