Psalm 33:1-12
Like so many of the psalms, you can almost hear the choir singing
these words. King David (or perhaps his writing staff) could sure
turn a nice, singable phrase.
Back in those pre-COVID days when we would pack into a theater
or church shoulder-to-shoulder, I heard a concert by the Westminster
Choir College. There were hundreds of voices and instrumentalists.
Multiple choirs moved through the Princeton Chapel, lifting their
voices in what, to my ears at least, is one of the most acoustically
pleasing rooms imaginable. As these talented, mostly young people
and their directors gave us one overwhelming moment after another,
the harmonies moved over me like a mother lovingly holding and
washing her baby. As the psalmist says, they sang joyfully; the
orchestra played skillfully; we all shouted for joy (vv. 1-3, NIV).
Walking out of that concert, I felt full of love. I think we all were. The invisible connective tissue, created by those sounds, in that moment, held us all as one. The earth is full of his unfailing love (v. 5, NIV). Tears rolled down my face, each a small shout of joy.
In the humdrum of our often dull, normal lives, we need—indeed crave—moments like this. We go to places of worship and concert halls and theaters to have those moments of unity. And we experience the overwhelming moment of shouting for joy.
Consider
When has gathering to sing and worship given you an opportunity to experience joy?
Pray
God, thank you for the miracles of human voice and music. Amen.