A Joyful Noise

Psalm 66:1-4 - Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; Make His praise glorious. Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name."

My friend Shirley asked me in an email the other day if I thought I could still worship God if we could not longer have church.  It was a question I didn't want to answer too quickly. And here is my response! As I was mowing the lawn yesterday afternoon, earplugs secured firmly, my FM Christian radio station blaring in my ears, the answer came to me. YES, I could.  As long as I knew the words to some of my favorite hymns/songs and could remember the melodies or as long as I had playable CDs, I could.  I'm sure if anyone could hear me singing at the top of my lungs, no doubt badly out of tune, they would wonder.

There have been plenty of times at home when I have turned on Christian radio or put on some of my favorite CDs and throughout the day worshiped God with my not-so-perfect voice.  I'm so thankful that we are to make a joyful "noise" unto the Lord (Psalm 81:1).  I'm sure God's spiritual ears hear nothing but delightful melodies.  I've heard that in heaven singing and worshiping goes on all the time.  I've heard it said that although there may be thousands upon thousands of songs being sung at the same time, spiritually it will be so beautiful words just cannot describe it. I think He will have perfected our imperfect voices. Since I love music, I hope this is true.  It will be like an angelic choir.

The songs I love the most are those that come right out of the Bible....scripture to music.  Since God's word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11), I imagine they are His favorite as well.  But worship isn't just about singing or music. It doesn't need to be vocal or outward but as simple as a word of thanks to God, our Father, silently in our hearts.  He is to be worshiped.  What is so beautiful about worshiping God is it can be done at any time.  


King David, the Psalmist, worshiped God unabashedly.  He danced before the Lord.  He was vocal in his worship and he encouraged the playing of multiple musical instruments.  Here is a quote, author unknown at the All About God website, describing what our worship should be like:  True worship is God-centered worship. People tend to get caught up in where they should worship, what music they should sing in worship, and how the worship looks to other people. Focusing on these things completely misses the point. Jesus tells us that true worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This means we worship from a pure heart!

Before I read that paragraph I was going to expand on worship being no more, although it's just as meaningful, than reading God's Word.  There have been times when just hearing a certain scripture read causes my heart to melt and my eyes to tear up.  I don't know for sure, but at that precise moment, I believe my heart is pure and God is knowing just how His Word has touched me.  Oh, I would love to feel free enough to dance before the Lord in church or in public, like King David.  Maybe some day it will happen.

Worshiping is for God alone.  He should be the recipient of this offering, no one else.  That is worshiping in spirit and in truth.  Today's world worships rock musicians, television or movie stars, sports figures or teams.  They are all looked up to.  Shouting, screaming, clapping and cheering for our favorite sports team is just how we should be worshiping God! If we can be fanatical about those things, why not be fanatical about God?

Take time today to thank God for what you have, for the changes He has made in your life, for the changes you would like to have made in your life, for your salvation. Consider his marvelous acts of creation.  How DO the birds fly, how DO the seasons evolve?  How DO the stars stay suspended in space?  Who is responsible?  Worship our Creator.

Hebrews 13:15 -  Therefore ... let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.