Shouting and Singing

If you were in the middle of a public place like an airport, grocery store or maybe a ballgame and all of a sudden, in even the busy buzz of noise, you hear a shout, what would you do?  Or in the same scenarios, you hear a voice singing, what would be the tendency of your reaction?  For me, I answer with a definite, look around to see from where it’s coming.  We have in Psalm 65 a wonderful exclamation of praise to God.  John MacArthur’s study notes categorize it as "praise for spiritual blessings and praise for natural blessings".  He says it’s a Psalm full of "hopeful, confident, ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness".  And with this praise, he brings out, are "no complaints or curses". 

Verses one through five rehearse the wonderful spiritual blessings to man: praise, performed vows, forgiveness, chosen, nearness dwelling, answers, salvation, and trust.  And there is so much that can be gleaned from this Psalm, but as the final for my “Just Five Psalms” posts, I’d like to bring out one jewel taken from the second part.  The praise of the natural blessings is verbalized as the writer’s prerogative by nature itself.  “You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy…and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for joy, yes, they sing.” 

As I envisioned this scenario, it dawned on me (excuse the pun) that the sun, from the rising to the setting does just that.  One cannot help but take notice of light penetrating the darkness like a shout that would be noticed in the midst of a busy crowd.  It comes up piecing through the night with its gladness and it goes down beautifully arrayed with ever-changing color shouting it’s wonder until it disappears.  And the hills, meadows and valleys covered with grain do their share of shouting for joy and singing.  I cannot help but take in the wonder of it all as I ride down a country road.   Feasting on the beauty all around in nature’s shouting and singing fest, I cannot help  but pay attention and look around.  Nature’s verbal display to and from God are scenes I never want to take for granted.  I must look.  And I, too, must praise!  For to enjoy the creation while being personally united to the Creator is a joy upon joy that will never be taken from me.  I am, as John MacArthur says, full of "hopeful, confident and ever-enthusiastic feelings in response to God’s goodness".  And may my complaints grow dim in the glow.