Make a Joyful Noise!

We sit up front at church.
Second row.
That way we can see. And we are not distracted.
And since very few people will ever sit on the front row, there is no one in front of us.

There is another advantage to sitting in the front row with no one in front of me that I never knew until this weekend.

This last week we decided to shake things up a bit and sit in an entirely different different place in church than we usually do. You ever noticed how families always sit in the same place week after week? (We are the up front, second row, on the right people.)

In fact, one week we walked up and another family was sitting in OUR row. We stood there for just a moment, staring at them, looked at each other, and then turned and walked back down the row to find another seat. IN THE BACK! We could barely concentrate on the sermon!

But this week, we sat toward the back on purpose. We just didn't want to get in too much of a rut. It was all going fine until something unexpected happened. Good friends sat immediately in front of me right at the beginning of our singing section of the service (and we sing for quite a long time!).

Now let me back up a bit.
I LOVE to sing. Really, really love to sing.
If there is any one gift that I would pay a lot of money to have it would be the ability to sing incredibly well. Like stick a microphone in my hand, shine a spotlight on me, and I belt out a tune that brings a tear to the eye.

As it is, if someone stuck a microphone in my hand and I sang, it sure would bring a tear to the eye. But for a totally different reason!

So back to church. When my friends sat DIRECTLY in front of me I was faced with a moral dilemma.
Do I sing loud? When people I know can hear me?

Now, I don't sing loud for loud's sake. I sing loud because I love praising God with a joyful noise! And when no one is front of me I don't have to think about it. But now someone was in front of me. And it was someone I knew! And I was thinking about it!

What to do? What to do?
I decided my biggest fear really boiled down to my own reputation. I didn't want someone I know well to know how "well" I sing.
So did I fear man or fear God?

It was tough, but I swallowed my pride, closed my eyes and SANG.
And soon my mind was off myself. And my friends.
And it was on the only place where it needed to be. On Jesus.

Where am I going to sit this next Sunday? Hopefully in our "regular" seats! But no matter where we sit, or who sits in front of us, I know one thing.

I will make a JOYFUL NOISE!

What is God calling you to today? Will it be uncomfortable? Could it embarrass you? Is it outside your comfort zone?

But is it to His glory? If it is, do it LOUD!

O sing unto the Lord a new song...
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth; make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
Psalm 98: 1, 4