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Psalms 137 · Grade 5

Honest Prayer in Sorrow

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Read and Think

Psalm 137 has no title. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion. The singers hung up their harps on the willows.

Their captors demanded songs of joy: Sing us one of the songs of Zion! The captives answered, How can we sing Yahweh's song in a foreign land? Then the singer vows loyalty: If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don't remember you.

The closing verses (7 to 9) are among the most painful in Scripture. The singer asks Yahweh to remember Edom for the day of Jerusalem's fall and pronounces a terrible judgment on Babylon. These are the words of a victim's grief and anger, spoken to God. Scripture records them honestly. Christians do not pray them as their own wish for harm, but learn from them to bring pain and the longing for justice to God. In the New Testament, Paul writes, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord (Romans 12:19).

Show What You Know

  1. Where did the singers sit down and weep?

  2. What did the captors ask for?

  3. Whom does the singer ask God to remember?

  4. How do Christians learn from the closing verses?

Crossword

31245

Across

  1. Sing us one of the songs of ____.
  2. We hung up our ____.

Down

  1. By the rivers of ____.
  2. By the ____ of Babylon.
  3. How can we sing Yahweh’s ____ in a foreign land.

Think About It

  1. Scripture records the captives' grief and anger honestly. How can you bring your sad feelings to God in prayer?

  2. The captives struggled to sing in a foreign land. How can Christians keep worshiping when life feels strange or hard?

Memory Verse

“How can we sing Yahweh’s song in a foreign land?”

Psalms 137:4 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for being with us when we are sad. Help me . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

  • What can you do with anger instead of getting even?
  • How does Romans 12:19 help us read Psalm 137?
  • What is one way you could live out this chapter this week?

Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.