Devotion
Make a joyful noise to the King of all gods
David Jacobs
As a musician, it always brings me great pleasure to be able share my musical gift with others. The one place I get to do that more than any other, besides singing in the shower, is at church. In the comfortable confines of the church is one of the few places I get to sing, play the piano, and play the violin for an audience of interested listeners. How joyful is the sound of heavenly music, and how joyful it is to be able to share this music with fellow Christians in a house of worship!
The Old Testament is filled with stories that may make God seem serious, vengeful, and even scary. Never forget how much God loves you! So much so that he sent His only son to die so that we may experience life eternal. Between the lines of thousands of verses within the Bible, one may find the joy and exultation of celebrating the name of the Lord. God is not spiteful and full of vengeance! He is as a Father unto us, endowing us with the gift of light, love, and even laughter. Perhaps no figure in the Bible is a better example of the joyful praise that can and should be shared with others and our Lord than King David. The Psalms particularly details the joyous relationship we have with God, recommending we make a joyful noise to the Lord. My joyful noise might be different from yours, but the Lord does not judge us on our musical abilities! Anyone can lift up their voice and sing – even my tone deaf mother – but singing is not the only way to make a joyful noise celebrating our love for God. Find yours, and lift it up in praise!
Prayer
When have you felt at your most 'joyous'? What does your joyful noise sound like?
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
