My son Samuel just started kindergarten this past fall. So when it came time for his birthday in mid-October he was most excited to have school friends that he could invite to a party to celebrate. Up until this point his parties had been primarily family affairs.
We picked a theme and a time and sent the invitations out to his friends. To say he was excited would be a vast understatement. Every morning he would rise and ask how many more sleeps until his party. And as we got closer and closer to the date his joy and excitement would get louder. One morning I asked him to calm down as he still had many more sleeps until the big day. “I can’t Mommy,” he exclaimed, “God made joy loud.”
As adults we sometimes forget that. God made joy loud. We are supposed to clap our hands and shout to God with loud songs of joy. Some emotions simply cannot be hushed and quiet. We have a gift as Christians and it is a faith that gives us reason to be joyful. So go ahead, make a loud joyful noise unto the Lord.
Dear God, thank you for giving us a reason to clap our hands and shout songs of joy, and thank you for making joy loud so all can hear! Amen. — VB