Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
I remember some time ago just after the congregation started singing a hymn during a worship service, the organist stopped playing and told everyone to stop singing. She told the congregation that the reading we had just heard was to make a joyful noise to the Lord. She went onto to suggest that we put some “joy” into the singing of the hymn.
God does many things for us and the world around us. He leads us to do the things that he wants us to go for him in the community around us. He is with us always and particularly when we need someone to calm us, help us when we are grieving a loss or when we simply do not know what to do about a particular problem.
Yet how often do we stop and acknowledge the presence of God and what he has been doing – I suggest not very often.
There are many ways that we can acknowledge the presence of God and what he has done. We can pray to God and acknowledge what he has done directly back to him. We could simply say quietly or loudly – “thank you, God.” Another way is to talk to others about what you have seen God doing for yourself or around you. Talking to others allows them to also see what God has been doing.
God is constantly working within our world – the challenge for us is to see and acknowledge what God has been doing for you and in the community around you.
Shirley Bowers
Longford Uniting Church