Now is the time ...

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. (Psalm 98:4).

Even as earth is groaning in pain today, God’s desire is for the earth to make a joyful noise, to rejoice and sing praise. Who, but the children of God can make this joyful noise unto the Lord? There is a time to pray and a time to praise. Now is the time to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. Praise heals. Praise restores. Praise moves us forward.

As I watched news today, I see quite a number of artistes all over the world broadcasting their songs from their homes to cheer the world in this time of pandemic. Quite a number of these singers are the oldies, artistes I have not heard of for quite a long while. While they are making their music, the call from heaven is to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. These artistes sing to the world but the “living stones” sing to God from whence our help comes.

I lived through the days when you cannot find a drum set in church. Somehow, the only holy instrument is the organ or the piano. Things then evolved and churches started worshiping with guitars. Soon the bass, drums, and tambourines made its debut. Today we have all kinds of instruments on stage and worship leading now is rather complex as compared to those days of simplicity where with just one guitar, we literally rocked the “house of God”. Worship back then wasn’t concert like, neither professional. It was just a time when the can-sing, the cannot-sing, the tone deaf come together and shout unto God with a voice of praise. Our throats were strained by the time we’re done with worship. Like I said, we rocked. We were happy and elated because in our minds and hearts, we were making a joyful noise unto the King of kings and the Lord of lords!

Watching how preachers pray over this pandemic breaks my heart. Being televised globally adds salt to wound. Stand up comedians took this cue and made it into punch lines poking fun at Christianity. Instead of making joyful noise unto the Lord, these preachers are becoming “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” uttering “gibberish words”. You would have heard. I believe in praying (not prayer). In the Bible we were told to pray always. Many are praying over this pandemic pleading God’s mercy as if God is the one responsible for this virus. What we should be pleading instead is for God’s divine intervention. Repent if we have to. Humble ourselves if we need to. Where man’s efforts fail, God will help when we pray. It happened in pandemics past and it will happen again this time. This virus will eventually pass. Prayerfully, very soon.

My point today? We need to praise, to make a joyful sound unto the Lord. Another translation says to “shout for joy”. Instead of waiting for joy to come, we shout instead for joy. Remember what Jesus said to Apostle Thomas when he wouldn’t believe? Jesus said: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." (Jn. 20:29). That’s how God’s kingdom works. You shout for joy. You make a joyful noise unto the Lord. You see hope where there is hopelessness. You believe even when the odds are against you. I know many of us have been praying and are still praying even though we don’t know how to pray as we ought to (Rom. 8:26). If you read the Bible, prayer doesn’t quite win the battles. Praise does. Last week, Rev. Wendy Ching preached from Exodus 17. I have a question. Why did Moses went up the hill to do while Joshua went into the valley to fight the Amalekites? To pray? No, it wasn’t to pray. He went up the hill to lift up the hands that held the rod of God, the same rod that parted the Red Sea. When his arms were lifted up, Israel prevailed. When his arms were lowered, the Amalekites prevailed. Lifting up of hands is an act of praise. There is a time to pray and there is a time to praise. At the Red Sea, Moses cried out to God in prayer. God responded; “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground”. (Ex. 14:15). It wasn’t a time for prayer. It was a time to lift up those hands that held the rod of God. Prayers are on our lips. The power of God is in our hands. Will you make a joyful noise unto the Lord and lift up those hands in praise in this time pandemic time? When we don’t quite really know how to pray as we ought to, it’s best to praise, to make a joyful noise unto the Lord from whence our help comes. I suspect God gave Moses the rod so he would praise more than he would pray.

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; (Heb 12:12).