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A Joyful Noise
Andrea Lende • July 26, 2020
Psalm 95:1-3
A Joyful Noise
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/A-Joyful-Noise-eh987d
Daily Word:
Psalm 95:1-3
“O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation!”
“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!”
“For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”
I needed an uplift today.
Reading this Psalm lifted my spirit.
We serve an Almighty God.
He is a loving God.
There is nothing we have done to make it possible to be His people.
He did it all.
He created the earth.
He created each and every one of us.
And he created each of us for a purpose.
His purpose.
He made a way for us to know Him intimately.
As I read these passages today, my perspective was broadened.
I could take my eyes off of me and set my eyes on Him and all His wonder.
Our praise is a joyful noise to the Lord.
He hears our praise and our thanksgiving.
Just as we hear our own children’s thankful hearts in their words, the Lord hears us.
When my children are thankful and complimentary to me, it makes me want to do more for them.
In some small way, I believe this is true for the Lord.
Although He needs no thanks or praise from us, the Bible tells us that it’s a joyful noise to the Lord.
I am grateful He can hear me.
I am grateful He wants to hear me.
I am grateful He made a way for Him to hear me.
Today I choose to sing praises unto the Lord and am blessed that my praise is a joyful noise to Him.
May you find that as you praise our God and King that your spirits are lifted on high.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for the joy Your Word instills in my heart. Thank You for opening my heart and soul to You as I read it. I praise You, Father! I praise You because You, alone, are Holy. I Praise You because You are Creator of all good and wonderful things. I praise You because You chose me to know You. I praise You because You made a way for me to know You and come to worship You. I praise You for Your Son’s sacrifice. You graciously gave Your Son to us so that we could come to know You better. He taught us with every word He spoke. His words are Wisdom and were instilled in His heart by You, Almighty God. Thank You for such a sacrifice, Lord. Thank You for every detail You have worked out in the past, present, and will work out in the future. Your plan is perfect and will be done. Help me walk into Your perfect will, Lord. I desire to be of service to You, the Great I AM. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM the Great I AM and My will shall be done, My child.
Response: Help me be obedient to Your call, Father.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.