Noise.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!” - Psalm 98: 4 [ESV].

Today I saw God in a big way. A beautiful way.

Today, I witnessed two of my friends worship God with their passions. My friends, Meg and Destiny, invited me to join them in an interlude on Regent’s film stage. Des is an impassioned dancer and as she began to move across the floor, Meg sat down to play a very out-of-tune piano. As Des danced her praises to the Lord, Meg sang hers. As I watched and listened to these two women offer their gifts before God, I was struck with a sense of absolute peace and joy. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of my friends; the beauty of their hearts; the beauty of their worship.

It was in that moment that I realized: There’s more than one way to make a joyful noise. There’s more than one way to praise His name. God has given each of us desires and talents; but how often do we worship God with these passions? I’m here to tell you, our Father takes great delight in His children’s noise-making. When I was seven, I began taking violin lessons. I’ll be the first to say that violin is not a pretty instrument to get the hang of. It takes weeks of screeches and flat-fingerings to learn how to play a simple scale. Even then, the sound is raw and disjointed. I remember the first day I was able to play an "actual" song on my violin. It consisted of three notes. I was ecstatic. When I got home, I immediately pulled out my violin and played the song for my dad. It wasn’t pretty; it wasn’t even in-tune. Still, my dad listened as I played - a smile on his face. God’s love is just like this. It doesn’t matter if our songs and praises are dissonant – He just asks that they be joyful.

I want to encourage you: Step out through your passions. There is a joyful noise waiting to be created in every one of your gifts. Be it the sound of fingers gliding over piano keys, or the sound of a dancer’s shoes as they skim a smooth surface (which, incidentally, is one of my favorite sounds). The sound of a writer’s fingers typing away at a keyboard. The sound of a camera’s shutter as it captures a moment in time. And, yes: the squeaks and screeches of a beginner violinist, still learning to play. As we praise the Lord with our joyful noises, He listens with delight.

And He smiles.

Go out there and make [joyful] noise. I dare you.

Without wax,

Sarah.