U2, the Psalms and praying for Syria

 

One of my favorite songs by the Irish band U2 is called “40” (found on their War album) and it is their rendition of King David’s Psalm 40. The song is based off of the first three verses which is a prayer to God to hear his cry while he is waiting for the Lord’s deliverance from his own sin (vs. 12), from his “troubles” that surround him (vs. 12) and from his enemies “who seek to take my life” (vs. 14).

The chorus of 40 goes, “I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song. How long to sing this song? How long to sing this song? How long, how long, how long? How long to sing this song?” U2 has been known to end their concerts with this song as the crowd keeps singing this chorus even after the band has left the stage. Check out this YouTube video of U2 in Chicago in 2005 as this is a great example. (If you want to skip through the acoustic version of Yahweh go ahead to 3:45 in the video to see 40.)

Many times when I hear about oppression and killings in the news I often think of this song and this line from the chorus. This is especially the case when I hear about Christians being persecuted. We read in Revelation 6:9-12 the following, “when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. ¹⁰ They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” ¹¹ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer” (NIV).

And so we keep waiting, and singing, “How long to sing this song?” How long will you allow your sons and daughters to be killed? How long will you allow Christians to be persecuted and beaten? More generally, how long will you allow ethnic cleansing? How long will you allow the majority to kill the minority? How long will you allow the massacres by Bashar al-Assad in Syria to go on? How long, O Lord, how long?

In our Daily Walk Bible reading yesterday we looked at Psalms 90-97 and I found myself especially praying Psalm 94 for those being attacked in Syria. “Arise, O judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve. How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?” (vss. 2-3, NLT). I was especially comforted by these verses detailing God’s sovereignty and sure judgment on those who think “the Lord isn’t looking” (94:7). “Is he deaf—the one who made your ears? Is he blind—the one who formed your eyes? He punishes the nations—won’t he also punish you? He knows everything—doesn’t he also know what you are doing?” (vss. 9-10, NLT)

As I read the stories coming out of Syria, and as I find myself singing U2’s song, and praying Psalms like Psalm 94, I am also incredibly encouraged by Revelation 5:6, 9 which says, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, … And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

As we “wait patiently for the Lord” (Ps. 40:1) we trust that He will turn to us and hear our cries. And so we keep reading the Psalms, we get politically involved, we keep praying for world governmental leaders to take action and we sing in confidence the new song that Jesus Christ was and is worthy to be the slain lamb! Come, Lord Jesus, Come!