Make a Joyful Noise

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.” — Psalm 100:1

What’s the loudest, happiest noise you can make? A shout? A cheer? A song at the top of your voice?

Psalm 100 is a song that tells everyone in the whole world to make a joyful noise to God. It’s a short psalm, only five verses long. People in the temple sang it as they came in to worship God, and Christians have sung it for thousands of years.

“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” it says.

“Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into His presence with joyful songs.”

Coming to God isn’t meant to be boring or gloomy. It’s meant to be glad and joyful!

“Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us, and we are His. We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”

Do you remember the shepherd’s song? Here it is again. We belong to God, like sheep belong to their shepherd. He made us, and He looks after us.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.”

Then comes the reason for all this joy:

“For the Lord is good. His loving devotion endures forever. His faithfulness continues to all generations.”

God is good. His love never runs out. It goes on and on, for ever. And He is faithful, which means He keeps His promises, not just to us, but to our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents, and to our children and grandchildren too.

Psalm 103 is another happy song, by David. “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” it begins, “and do not forget all His kind deeds.” Then David makes a list of all the good things God does. “He forgives all your sins. He heals all your diseases.” And he says something wonderful about forgiveness: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our sins from us.”

How far is the east from the west? You can never reach the end of it! That’s how far away God takes our sins when He forgives us.

So make a joyful noise! Sing, shout, clap, cheer. The Lord is good.

Read it in your Bible: Psalm 100; Psalm 103:1–13

Dear God, I want to make a joyful noise to you! Thank you that you made me and I belong to you. Thank you that you are good, and your love lasts for ever. Amen.