Making a Joyful Noise
Years ago, I attended an annual retreat in Fort Gibson, OK with a group of women who made it a must to be there. We stayed in rustic cabins, talking way more into the night than we should have, which led to a lack of sleep. But we were okay with it!
The goal of the retreat was to leave with having the spiritual messages we heard, engraved on our hearts. We gleaned so much from them, the interaction we had discussing the messages we heard and then having the opportunity to go out and spend time, individually, in God’s creation. We had yummy meals and great “sisterhood” conversations.
For me, one of the highlights of those retreats was at the end of the day, when we gathered around the fires in the rustic, huge fireplace (the retreats were in November), and play the “singing game”, Encore.
We were split up into two teams and the goal was to see which team could come up with more songs than the other team when given the specific word or phrase on a card.
My claim to fame was that I knew a lot of songs – most of which were about Jesus. I grew up in church and singing those old melodies and choruses and songs from hymnbooks ensured my team was the winning team.
To this day, I can pull out one of those old songs when I hear a word or a phrase that sparks that song memory. I am thankful for my heritage that taught me so much about making music with my Lord.
My spiritual journey, that included many songs, has been an integral part of my life. One of the most important ways of giving praise and thanksgiving to God is by singing. The Bible says, “Sing out your thanks to Him; sing praises to our God.” Psalm 147:7
Few things make us aware of God’s presence more quickly than singing our praise to God. And it doesn’t matter how much musical talent we have. The Bible urges us to make a joyful noise. If the birds and other animals can make a joyful noise, so can we.
Christianity is a singing faith. There are more songs about Jesus Christ than anything or anyone else. That’s why we need to be part of a local church. It’s not just about listening to a weekly message from the Bible but singing our faith too!
We need the emotional expression that comes from singing thanks to God. Without it, our hearts can shrivel up. We need both the impression from the messages we hear and the expression through music.
I have discovered that the times when I least felt like singing were when I needed to sing the most. When my heart gets cold, I need to be renewed, restored, and recharged through singing thanks to God. I find listening to music and singing praise to God renews my soul.
While getting this estate sale ready to go next week, we have the radio on K-Love all day. We are infused with the clever worded and anointed new songs, but just in our conversations, a phrase will be said, and we both belt out an oldie that impresses us with God’s love and mercy to us!
So, let’s embrace God’s love in music or find a good Christian radio station, and sing along. Let’s make a joyful noise to the Lord!