Created to Sing

(Lazuli Bunting - rare sighting in my backyard)

When I was two years old, my brother was born. He was a sickly baby suffering from eczema and asthma. He had trouble sleeping and gave my Mom many difficult nights. She was very happy if he would fall asleep during the day, allowing her to get some of her work done. Because my brother was a light sleeper, Mom needed to keep me quiet so my noisy play would not awaken him.

I remember one specific day very clearly.

My Mom had just rocked my brother to sleep and she told me I needed to play quietly. She took away the toy I was playing with saying it was too loud. I remember distinctly grappling in my little mind what constituted 'quiet' - why some toys were OK and others not. I could not quite grasp the concept of where the line between quiet and too loud was, but I tried my very best to be 'quiet'.

I thought that I was playing quietly but my brother's sudden cry proved I was not. I remember my Mom being upset that I had woken my brother and I felt crushed -- feeling so bad that somehow I had not done what my Mom needed me to do - and not understanding why.

'Quiet' has to be learned, making 'sound' comes quite naturally.

Our parents tell us to be quiet, we are told to be quiet in libraries, in churches, in school. Not many of us could point to times in our childhood where we were told to be 'noisy' !

And yet, it seems our God loves noise ! and indeed tells us to 'make noise!"

Psalm 98:4 - "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!"

Our God, the creator of all things created everything with the ability to make sound. What an amazing symphony must be heard in the highest heaven where He sits on His throne.

When His creation was finished, God pronounced it as good! And if it was 'good' is it not natural that each part would praise Him?

Praise cannot be silent, can it? If it is, there is no praise.

I don't think I ever considered, until I watched that moving video, that of all of God's creation only man has to ability to choose whether or not he uses his voice to praise God.

Everything else in His creation is programmed to praise Him continually -- even the rocks stand by to praise Him!

If all ability to make sound was created for singing/shouting praise to God, then are our voices not also created for that highest purpose?

And yet... what do we use our voices for ? How many times a day do we raise our voice in 'praise' to God ? To join in with that amazing symphony that encompasses all of our universe and beyond!

I am told that a conductor or composer has the ability to hear separately each note or sound of every instrument or voice in a choir or symphony. How much more then, would God not have that same ability -- to hear every individual sound that rises from His creation. How pleasing it must be to Him when every individual sound blends into the majestic harmony of praise.

And yet -- how often do our individual voices disturb the harmonious universal choir because our voice rather than being lifted up in praise is lifted up in anger, in criticism, in complaining or even in praise of something earthly.

Does our individual 'out of key' voice grate on God's ears the way someone singing out of tune grates on my husband's ears? His sensitive ears can hear even the smallest discord - how much more finely tuned are God's ears ?

I desire - I choose - my voice to be raised in praise to the One who alone is worthy of all praise!

Psa 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"

Psa 5:3 "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up."