“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”
I absolutely love today’s Psalm. As a singer from my itty-bitty youth and an admitted loudmouth in my middle age, it makes me borderline giddy when Scripture explicitly invites me to do what comes naturally. The "be still" stuff? Ak. Find someone else. But "make a joyful noise?" Sign me up!
Except . . . too often, crummy circumstances and negative feelings conspire against my desire to praise God. I just don’t feel like praising Him.
During an endless day of chasing numerous children in myriad directions where the breakfast was burned, the coffee was cold, the toilet overflowed, the homework was lost, the van was iced over, the dinner wouldn’t cook, the husband had a late meeting, the important deadline was missed . . . there may be noises coming out of my mouth, but I can pretty much guarantee that none of them are joyful!
And yet, Scripture doesn't say, "Make a joyful noise when life is perfect." It doesn't say, “Praise the Lord when you’re sufficiently caffeinated and everyone is calm and your house is pin-worthy.”
No. Rather, Scripture implores us to “Rejoice in the LORD always . . . Again, I say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Blessedly, we can pray (over and over again as needed) for the ability to choose to make a joyful noise and worship the rock of our salvation regardless how we feel or what’s gone wrong in our day.
And, really, why shouldn’t we attempt, as difficult as it may be, to praise Him as much as we can here on earth? We have countless reasons to sing His praises. Namely, the God of the Universe will never, ever forsake or abandon us! Our Heavenly Father loves us here and now, right where we are—in the mess and the chaos and the muck. He is worthy! And He wants to hear from you.
Today, try to set aside anything that is attempting to steal your joy and silence the song in your heart and just praise God for Who He is, from exactly where you are, even if you merely whisper a simple, “Thank You, Jesus,” or, “I love You, Lord.”
Praising God on earth is a foretaste of Heaven. Let’s dig in and take a bite today.
Heather Anderson Renshaw is currently not drinking enough [coffee] to keep up with her five young kiddos in the Pacific NW. You can find out more about her here.
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