Singing Through the Pain

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. —Psalm 118:14

There’s probably no greater example of singing the Lord’s song in a foreign land than Jesus Himself. In Matthew 26, before He left the upper room and headed to the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus and His disciples sang a hymn.

Scripture doesn’t tell us what hymn they sang, but it was likely the Jewish hallel. That’s Psalm 115–118 in the Jewish hymnal—the psalms that were sung after drinking the last cup of the Passover meal.

Hours later while He hung from the cross, Jesus quoted Psalm 22. When His tormentors taunted Him, “Sing us one of the Lord’s songs,” He spoke words from the Jewish hymnal. He was singing the Lord’s song while He was in Babylon.

When you pray, praise, and sing through your pain, your captivity, and your torment, your faith will be strengthened and the gospel witness will go out. Others will want to hear and sing the songs of Zion as you lift up your heart and worship Yahweh through the tears and pain.