Devotion 4: Make a Joyful Noise!
I recently got back from an amazing trip overseas. We had the whole thing extensively planned and packed with sightseeing, not wanting to miss a single thing. We woke up early every morning and stayed out late every night. We were happy but exhausted. It was not until about halfway through the trip that we finally had a morning to sleep in. I went to bed, savoring the fact that I could wake up without an alarm, and even took my time going to bed because of it. This was a mistake. At around 6:30 a.m., the noise started. At first, it sounded like a man with an instrument and a loudspeaker. I tuned it out and went back to sleep. Soon after, other instruments joined, and I was absolutely confused as to why a concert was happening outside of our hotel at seven in the morning (on a Wednesday). By 7:15, a bunch of people had gathered with drums and horns and decided it was time to make the most insufferable sound that quite possibly has ever existed, over and over and over again. Think of the loudest, most annoying alarm noise on your iPhone and multiply the volume level by 100. Add a couple of bullhorns, a kick drum, and the screams and shouts of dozens of people protesting plastic, and you can imagine my horror. It was the most terrible noise I have ever heard. By this time, there was absolutely no option to go back to sleep, so I ventured out to get some coffee, passing the scene and stopping to talk to some police who agreed that while it was absolutely ridiculous, they still had the right to protest and make that terrible noise. As angry as I was at the time, I will give them this: these people sure knew how to come together in like-mindedness, passionately raising their voices for all to hear. They did not care about what anyone thought, what they sounded like, or how they looked. They just wanted to proclaim their message for everyone around to hear.
As silly as it is, this reminds me of another group of people who have been commanded to come together and make noise, and not just a loud noise, but a joyful noise unto the Lord! Psalm 95:2 tells us, “Come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” Psalm 98:4-9 commands us, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord.”
Just picture it: all of God’s creations are passionately coming together to worship Him! This is what we are called to do. While every day is a day to praise and worship the Lord in our own personal way, He has instructed us to gather together with our brothers and sisters in Christ on a regular basis and make that joyful noise. Ephesians 5:18-21 tells us, “Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” We should find so much joy in the Lord that we cannot help but express it. It should just pour out of us! The next time you gather on a Sunday, I encourage you to think upon all of the good things the Lord has done and is doing and let thankfulness and joy overflow as you worship Him. Set aside self-consciousness and worries about what others are thinking. Proclaim God’s goodness for everyone to hear and make a joyful noise!