Sing To The Lord

Sing to the Lord

Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands!

Psalm 66:1 (KJV)

Our niece Sara was in her pajamas and ready for bed when my husband came home from a long trip. Sara had been looking forward to this evening for weeks. Since Len had been away “supply preaching” every Sunday since she had come to live with us, she was very concerned that he did not go to church as we did. The five-year-old did not understand that when Len, a recent seminary graduate, was away, he was in churches preaching or teaching. She knew only that she liked going to church and her Uncle Len was not enjoying that experience with her.

Sara rearranged the furniture in our living room for a church service of our own. She sat in her little rocking chair and used the footstool as her pulpit. Her Bible storybook was opened to the picture of the baby Moses. She had practiced telling the story from memory while pretending to be reading from her Bible. She would face the chair, which held the congregation of one—Len. I was the choir, sitting in a chair behind her.

At first she asked me to hold the songbook. Then she thought her uncle might want to be included, so she handed the songbook to Len and asked him to lead. But Sara had never heard this notorious monotone sing. After only one verse, in her sweet, innocent way, she took the songbook away, saying, “Uncle Len, I forgot you don’t know what we do in church. Maybe Aunt Barbara should lead the singing.”

I could laugh, because I was behind her, but Len did not dare laugh, since Sara was so serious. This was the kindest way anyone had ever told him that he had no musical ability.

Fortunately, God doesn’t require trained voices. He asks us only to make a joyful noise in praise to him, and all people can do that, even if they have no musical talent.

—Barbara Ferguson

Father, thank you for accepting the gratitude of our hearts, even when we lack musical quality. Amen.