MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE

“MAKE A JOYFUL SHOUT to the Lord, all you lands!” – Psalm 100:1

There is a standing instruction in God’s Word, to “MAKE A JOYFUL SHOUT to the Lord…” (Psa.100:1). This command comes without bias to age, background or skill. It is a command to “…all the lands!” (Psa.100:1). Nowhere in Scripture does it say we need musical skills to sing to the Lord. But in several places, we are commanded to “Make a joyful shout to the Lord” (Psa.66:1; 1Chr.15:16). God wants us to find such joy and excitement in Him that cannot be boxed-in or contained. Permit me to summarise my interpretation of this Psalm: “Let the earth and its fullness make a joyful noise to the Lord. Serve Him with excitement! Tell the Lord how good He is to you. Sing, shout and praise Jesus. Come into the King’s Palace and thank Him for everything He has done for you. Do it over and over, every day, and hand the baton to future generations”!

King David, the author of this Psalm, tells us to make a joyful shout or noise to the Lord, which includes singing; and to come into His Presence with an attitude that exudes thanksgiving. Making a joyful shout to the Lord necessarily includes cultivating a heart of Thanksgiving, because that which does not flow from the heart is unlikely to be truly joyful! We are to praise Him from our hearts and with our lips as we bless His name. However, praise originates from heart and mind, but does not end there; praise ideally must also flow from our mouth. We are to speak His praises out loud not just for God to hear, because He is hard of hearing, but for our own sake – to hear, be conscious, and active in praise.  

Are you wondering that you do not know what to thank God for? David gave several spiritual “tips” in this psalm. First, He is God, the Creator of the universe. We are also His people and sheep of His flock. He takes care of His flock. We can also thank Him for His goodness and unfailing love and faithfulness. We need to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness; it doesn’t happen naturally. Start small but do it daily. Over time you will notice that it happens automatically and you will begin to see more and more things you’re are thankful for. Make a joyful and thankful noise to the Lord – the rock of your salvation (Psa.95:1). On certain occasions, making a joyful noise to the Lord was a divinely-inspired military strategy.

God used “anointed noise” from Jehoshaphat’s choir to send confusion into the enemies’ camps: “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another” (2Chr.20:22-23).

God dismantled Jericho’s wall at the shout from His people: “So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat” (Jos.6:20). By the loud noise of trumpets and broken pitchers Gidoen’s enemies were put in disarray (Jud.7:19-22).

As Christians, we are taught to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and habitual thanksgiving because of what Christ did for us. We are instructed to “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” (Eph.5:18-19). When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, singing to Him organically flows in and through us. Musical talent has nothing to do with it. My singing may not be joyful to anyone in earshot, but it’s perfectly joyful to me. And I believe that it is to God too – He is my Primary Audience, and He hears it in perfect pitch!