By the Rivers of Babylon

Finally! A "youtube" for Christians - http://www.godtube.com/. Thanks Vince for this link. Now I can blog with christian songs at the background and without sieving much. :)

When I was a kid growing up, I hated Boney M's songs. But few years ago, I realised their christmas song "Mary's Boy Child" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95mPUtHnFoY) is a very powerful song to teach to children who want to know the real meaning of Christmas..not snow, not Santa, not presents, not reindeers, not jingle bells. They just need to sing a few paragraphs and they would know what Christmas is all about. I used to hate this song because it is probably not as interesting as other pagan christmas songs. It is also long and draggy and I could not quite understand what it is all about!

Last week, I discovered another song I disliked only to find out that they are words from the bible sung by Boney M! I was reading Psalm 137 and I probably skimmed over it several times but this time, a melody came to my head...

"By the rivers of Babylon"...

No way! Not Boney M?! Then I continued..

"We sat and wept when we remembered Zion"

I can't believe it! It is that song - "Rivers of Babylon". Boney M, a pop group singing songs from the bible and probably aired over radio for all to hear? Amazing. You can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XO1-skXZEvs&feature=related to go down memory lane. Oh how I hated that song.

Now as I understand the bible better and that the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, still, I can't figure out why anyone would write a song about being in captivity and their captors asked them for songs! It is actually a combination of Psalm 137:1-4 and

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

I think it is that even when we are in trouble and in our darkest moments we are never to stop praising and giving thanks to God. Not even when we are in captivity and we are feeling depressed and down. We will still rise up as children of God to sing to Him, praise Him and give Him thanks.

These days, I sing it in the shower! God really amuses me sometimes. :) Thank you Lord for bringing me down memory lane even though they weren't nice ones and then turning it round to glorifying you. Thank you Lord for the music that people play that praise you!


Rivers of Babylon by Boney M

By the rivers of Babylon
Where we sat down
There we wept
When we remembered Zion

For the wicked
Carried us away captivity
Requiring from us a song
Now How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land
(repeat)

So let the Words of our mouth
and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight
here tonight (repeat)

By the rivers of Babylon
Where we sat down
There we wept
When we remembered Zion