About Living in Exile
“By the rivers of Babylon—
there we sat down and there we wept
when we remembered Zion.”
Have you or some member of your family ever been forced to move away from friends and familiar places? Perhaps this was caused by military service or a job transfer. Some in our world are captives to dictatorships or imprisonment.
The Psalm we have read is sometimes called an imprecatory or cursing Psalm. These Israelites had been taken to Babylon against their will, and they were bitterly unhappy. Anger at God’s abandonment is evident in these lines.
Daniel was also an exile in Babylon, but he did not feel neglected or alone. the lessons we have read from the first half of this Biblical book can apply to us in periods when we feel alone and forsaken.
Daniel never forgot God. He continued to worship God and to communicate daily through prayer. Find a community of God’s people with whom you can worship.
Daniel did not forget who he was. Daniel was an Israelite, not a Babylonian. He did not attempt to follow the pagan customs of his new land. Remember who you are, a child of God.
Daniel did involve himself in the life of his new land, serving in ways that were consistent with his faith. Find a service project in your community.
For Reflection: Do I curse or live productively in a new place?
A Prayer Seed:
I look to Thee in every need, And never look in vain,
I feel Thy strong and tender love, and all is well again:
The thought of Thee is mightier far than sin and pain and sorrow are.
Samuel Longfellow, 1864
