Make a Joyful Noise
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
When was the last time you made a joyful noise?
I’m not talking about a beautiful noise or a perfect noise or the kind of noise that makes people pat you on the back because of how good it sounds.
I’m talking about that wild, uncontrollable, guttural, and uncontainable joy that resonates through every bone in your body.
When was the last time you made that noise?
My wife and I went to the park a few weeks ago to sit in the sun, read a book, and enjoy the outdoors (away from people, of course). While there, I noticed a kid farther down the hill from where we were sitting, running around his mom and dad.
Suddenly, he stopped, closed his eyes, made two fists, and screamed and shook with so much energy! Then he TOOK OFF, running, screaming, and laughing the entire time.
It was a wild, uncontrollable, guttural, uncontainable joy.
And I was infected by it from where I was sitting a 100-feet away.
When was the last time you made a joyful noise?
The Psalmist writes about making joyful noises to the Lord, and we often, especially in our society, associate joyful noises with beautiful music, with structure, and with some air of maturity.
Yes, there is a place for that.
But there are also joyful noises like the one that small child made in the park. Messy, perhaps not-so-poetic, but joyful still the same.
Make a joyful noise today
Set aside 10-minutes today to intentionally make a joyful noise to the Lord. You don’t have to run laughing and screaming through the park, but do something slightly non-traditional.
Begin by GIVING THANKS.
Then PRAISE God for God’s goodness.
And then BLESS GOD’S NAME.
And I guess, if you feel like it, go run through a park.
Matt Snyder, Director of Communications, First Baptist Church Decatur