Have you heard a baby’s first cry? Was it a complaint? “What a mess!” Was it an announcement? “I’m here!” Was it a hymn of praise? “Thank you, Great and Mighty Creating God for the gift of life!” Was it a request? “Stay with me, God!”
I think it was all four. It’s a primal thing we have so innocently in our beginning. But as we grow, seeking our own tree of knowledge, we struggle against innocence. We lose some of that grace to confess, to acknowledge “mess” when “mess” is our milieu. We hide ourselves from ourselves and others. We may walk through life a mystery to those we know and love, unable to say, “This is me!” “I’m here!” We get so busy in our own corners that we forget the source of our life and how to acknowledge and praise God. We become afraid to “request.” Will God answer? Does God know me? Does God care? Do I have the right to “request”?
The psalmist runs into us head on, and calls us and all creation back to praise, praise, praise. Be primal again. Sing, pray, play, dance, live, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Walk and make music with all creation in the presence of God.
O God, creator of all that is, give us grace to freely sing your praises with all the instruments of our lives. Amen. — TS