Join the Symphony

Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
~Psalm 150 NIV

Praise the Lord!  Is that the thought that crossed your mind when you woke up this morning?

Praise the Lord!  When you listened to the news or read the morning paper, did that sentiment pop into your mind?

Praise the Lord!  When you thought about the days agenda, or lack thereof, did you want to raise your voice and sing out songs of praise?

It can be hard to feel like singing praises to God when life isn’t going the way we want it to.  When challenges arise; when worry permeates your thoughts; when sadness and fear threaten to take over your life; or when darkness closes in and blocks out the light; how do you still find ways to praise the One who created you?  How do you find the notes to sing your songs of praise?

You stop for a moment and take a look around.  You look past the challenges, the worry, the sadness, the fear, and the darkness.  You look for evidence of God’s presence in the midst of your turmoil, because if you look hard enough you will find that evidence.  You will see that blessings abound—even now.  

It seems that our current situation has unlocked what I consider to be one of the greatest gifts we were given by our Creator—the gift of creativity.  I have read about countless ways parents and teachers are creatively educating and caring for the children in their lives.  Crafters are finding time for projects.  Employers are working hard to create ways to keep their staff working.  Businesses are conducting business in new and creative ways.  Social media is flooded with creative artwork, writings, and humor, all growing out of a need to see hope, and share encouragement with people everywhere.

Essential workers are going above and beyond, sometimes at risk to their own health, to provide needed services and support for their local communities.  Volunteers are making masks, helping neighbors, grocery shopping for those who can’t safely go out,  and much, much, more.  Technology is enabling us to stay connected to those we can’t see in person.  Churches are alive and well—providing online worship, and serving in new and exciting ways.   And we have more time to pause, to pray, to read, and to grow spiritually.

Praise the Lord! God is with us in the midst of the chaos.  Praise the Lord! He is working in us, through us, and for us.  God is present with us, here and now. So, how do we offer Him our praise?  Psalm 150 tells us to offer our praises to God through music.

Josh Wilson sings a wonderful song called “Symphony,” that he co-wrote with Wes Pickering.  In this song, he sings about how, since the world was first created, we have been surrounded by examples of God’s love for us.  He sees the ways that God works through us and for us as “music God is making in us all.”  He encourages us each to pick up our instruments and become a part of the music —to join the symphony of praise.  Here are a few of the lyrics:

And now every breath we breathe, is a melody
In the love song to the God who made
Every soul to see, every life to bring out
The beauty in this world.
So come on with all your heart,
Lift your voice and play your part
In this symphony.

Let’s give praise to our Heavenly Father through actual songs of praise and adoration, and through the music we make when we live out our lives according to God’s will.  Let’s join in the symphony!

Be blessed and be well!

Here is a link to “Symphony,” sung by Josh Wilson