I won’t Hang My Harp on the Willow Trees
Have you ever felt like you were supposed to be married — that God confirmed it, gave you the details, aligned the testimony — only for the person to reject you? That kind of heartbreak feels like exile. Your heart is taken captive, and instead of celebrating love, you’re left grieving the life you thought you would be living by now.
That’s what Israel felt in Babylon. Psalm 137 says, “We hanged our harps upon the willows… for they that carried us away captive required of us a song.” The enemy had the audacity to mock them: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How do you sing when everything you hoped for has been stripped away?
Israel ended up in exile because of their own disobedience. God warned them through Jeremiah, but they kept rejecting His word. They thought it would be a quick season, but God told them it would last seventy years. Even though disobedience brought them there, God still had a plan: “I know the thoughts I think toward you… to give you a future and a hope.”
I can relate. God gave a man every confirmation about me. Our stories, our adversity, our callings lined up letter for letter. God kept warning him to set himself apart, to choose obedience over compromise. But he hardened his heart, season after season, choosing woman after woman. Finally, God let him choose what he wanted — not the one He prepared.
And this is where many men and women miss it. We self-sabotage. Instead of committing to God, we run into entanglements. Instead of being set apart and waiting for His timing, we chase what feels good in the moment. We think God isn’t present in our “strange land” seasons, but He is. Just like He told Israel to build houses and plant gardens in Babylon, He wants us to live, grow, and thrive even when life doesn’t look like what we expected.
That’s the kingdom word for today: Stop despising where God has you, even if disobedience, heartbreak, or rejection landed you there. His will still stands in the middle of the mess.
The hardest part is the audacity of the enemy. After heartbreak, it feels like the world mocks you: “Sing your song now. Where’s your joy? Where’s your hope?” It’s the same cruelty Israel faced — being taunted to sing in a land of sorrow. Rejection will try to silence you, but here’s the truth: You still have a song.
I won’t hang my harp on the willow trees. I refuse to let heartbreak, delay, or rejection stop my worship or my hope for the future. The love I fought for and all the battles; I won secretly to continue to love and overcome will not be in vain. I loved outloud. I will continue to encourage others that God is still the God that is able. I dont know how or when but I know God can. One day I will love again and my next marriage will bring God great glory and honor because I loved Him and even when my heart was broken, I kept going and so should you. Because exile isn’t the end. Disobedience didn’t erase God’s plan for Israel, and rejection won’t erase God’s plan for me — or for you.
Sometimes relationships don’t turn out the way we thought God said. Sometimes the person can even hear from God and still harden their heart. But if Israel’s story teaches us anything, it’s that God’s plan is bigger than people’s choices, His timeline is deeper than our disappointment, and His freedom is greater than our captivity. Even in a strange land, He will give us back our song and we will be like them one day that dreamed again.
Psalm 126:1 When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.