September 7, 2024

September 7:  Make a Joyful Noise.

Sing With Gladness, for it is Good and Pleasant.
Praise the Lord!  For it is good to sing praises to our God....He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.--Psalm 147:1, 3, NKJV

THE SOUL MAY ASCEND nearer heaven on the wings of praise.  God is worshiped with song and music in the courts above, and as we express our gratitude we are approximating to the worship of the heavenly hosts.  "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth: God.  Psalm 50:23.  Let us with reverent joy come before our Creator, with "thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."--Isaiah 51:3.--Steps to Christ, 104.

When human beings sing with the spirit and the understanding, heavenly musicians take up the strain and join in the song of thanksgiving.  He who has bestowed upon us all the gifts that enable us to be workers together with God, expects servants to cultivate their voices so that they can speak and sing in a way that all can understand.  It is not loud singing that is needed, but clear intonation, correct pronunciation, and distinct utterance.  Let all take time to cultivate the voice so that God's praise can be sung in clear, soft tones, not with harshness and shrillness that offend the ear.  The ability to sing is the gift of God; let it be used to His glory.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 143.

                                  Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
                                               Serve the Lord with gladness;
                                      Come before His presence with singing....
                                   ...Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
                                                  For the Lord is good;
                                               His mercy is everlasting,
                                      And His truth endures to all generations.
                              
                                                  --Psalm 100:1, 2, 4, 5, NKJV