Sing in the Silence

The last couple of days I have seen pictures on Facebook that friends have shared of the full moon. They’ve been beautiful. This morning I walked out to enjoy the splendor myself.

My I-phone didn’t do it justice, so I just stood and took it all in. The quiet, the majesty, the awesome work of God. I heard in my heart what I had read on the pages of my Bible only minutes earlier and I knew that this day, this time, this space was dedicated to praising the Lord.

“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him on high! ² Praise Him, all His angels! Praise Him, all His army! ³ Praise Him, sun and moon! Praise Him, all you shining stars! ⁴ Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! ⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord! For He spoke and they came into being. ⁶ He has made them last forever and ever. He has set a Law which will not pass away.

⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth, you large sea animals and all seas, ⁸ fire and hail, snow and clouds, and wind storms, obeying His Word. ⁹ Praise the Lord, you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all tall trees, ¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle, small animals that move on the ground and birds that fly, ¹¹ kings of the earth and all people, princes and all leaders of the earth, ¹² both young men and women who have never had men, and old men and children.

¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord. For His name alone is honored. His shining-greatness is above earth and heaven. ¹⁴ He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all who belong to Him, for the people of Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the Lord! Psalm 148 NLV

There is not one thing that the Lord created and formed that does not give Him praise. They all declare His glory, so they were created to praise their maker. So were we. But we have the option to complain if we choose to. We can use our words to fault-find and spew criticism or to offer praise and encouragement.

“ A man’s stomach will be filled with the fruit of his mouth. He will be filled with what his lips speak. ²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:20-21 NLV

Our praise honors the Father. The Psalms say that He inhabits our praise but our praise also encourages us. It puts our focus on Who God is and His mighty power.

Start the day, singing in the silence, before the cares of life come crashing in. Take a listen from the birds, the first thing we hear each morning is their song.

Sing praise to the Lord – sing praises!