Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How could we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? (Psalm 137:3-4 NRSV).

Once you are in captivity you are defined by your captor’s perception of who you should be rather than who you truly are. This was certainly the case for the people of God taken Babylon by king Nebuchadnezzar. Not only did he decide what they ate, where they lived and what jobs they ended up doing, they were being asked to sing sacred songs for entertainment. When any people are in captivity they are subject to their captors and as such must do what their captors require or they will die. To survive the Trans-Atlantic trade the slaves developed what W.E.B Dubois called double consciousness. This was a situation where they learned the art of wearing two hats or two personalities; one for the slave master and one for their peers. This led to the dichotomy of being defined by other people’s perception of who you really were and not being able to let the real you come to the fore.

This is where faith in Jesus kicks in. He gives us the ability and the self belief to learn to be defined by what God says about us and not by our environment or those who we work for or are contracted to. The word says; ‘‘before you were in your mother’s womb I knew you me and while I was being formed you were writing all my days in your book’’ (Psa 139:13-17 paraphrased).

So we do not have to be defined by others or live in a world where we cannot show our true self. By putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we can become who God ordained us to be and can achieve anything we put our minds to as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and develop us. Only then will we sing the Lord’s song because we have hope and a prescribed end.

Read Psalm 137 &139.