"By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat down, yes, we wept
when we remembered Zion."
Psalm 137:1
The woman said to her mother, "I feel so out of place on my job. I never have felt like I fit there." Her mother said, "Maybe you feel out of place because you are. That may be God's way of telling you. Simply ask God to put you in the place where He wants you." The lady did pray about it. In a short time, she had another job offer. It didn't pay as much and the benefits were not as good. However, she took the job, because she believed that was the place God had for her. Some people would call this experience a coincidence, believers call it an answer to prayer.
The people of God were out of place in Babylon. They were taken there as prisoners of war. They remembered the old days in Jerusalem, referred to as Zion. They remembered when they were in the place God had for them. Their own sins against God had caused them to be out of place. They knew it. That's the reason they wept. They literally felt out of place.
God has prepared a place for all believers in this life, as well as a place in the life to come. When we get out of place in this world, nobody has to tell us. We feel it. Often, it brings sadness and heartache. The emotions of being out of place can be God's warning signal to us. If it's because of our sins, then the solution is confession and repentance toward God. He has an appointed place for every believer. It's the place of joy and satisfaction. It may not be a place without problems, but we know it's where we belong.
God, help me find my place in life.
