For Kids · 3 min with a grown-up
Psalm 137 is a sad song. God's people were far away from home and missed it so much it hurt. This song is how they told God about it.
Today's Story
Far, far from home, God's people sat down by a river in a strange land. They had to live there now, and they did not want to be there at all.
They missed their home so much. They missed the city they loved. They missed singing happy songs in God's house. When they remembered it all, they cried.
They had little harps to make music with, but they were too sad to play. So they hung their harps up in the branches of the willow trees by the water.
The people around them said, “Come on, sing us one of your happy songs!” But how could they sing a happy song when their hearts felt so heavy? Their home felt a whole world away.
So they made a promise. “We will never forget you,” they said about their home. “We will always remember.”
And here is the kind part: they did not hide their tears. They told God exactly how sad and how homesick they felt. God is big enough to hold even our biggest sadness.
A Big Word
Talk About It
- Have you ever missed someone or someplace so much that it made you sad? Who, or where?
- The people in this song told God exactly how they felt instead of hiding it. Why do you think that was a good thing to do?
- When a friend feels sad, what is one kind thing you could do to help them feel less alone?