I write the blog for our church, and recently I started by saying that I like ‘full’ and I like ‘loud’. ‘Full’ refers to our sitting room, where the church meets on Sunday morning, and I like to see it full. Sometimes we have around 20 people, and sometimes 10. I want 30 – and then a lot more!
I like ‘loud’. That refers to the decibels. We are told in the psalms to make a joyful noise with singing, musical instruments, dancing, etc. and with ‘loud cymbals’ ((psalm 150:5). In psalm 98, we are told to shout. SHOUT! I believe that, in the psalms, we are exhorted to be loud. And I love it. I shout victory and triumph. I may be British, but I am a victorious son of the King!
But I also like quiet. ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10) is also in the book of psalms. There are times when, in prayer, I am quiet. Really quiet. Listening. Listening for God.
Life, like praise and worship, is a mixture of loud and quiet. People are loud, and quiet. Creation is loud, and quiet. By design. By intention. I love the variety we find in God’s creation.
So I’m going to enjoy loud and quiet. Especially loud!
