Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
Hallelujah! ~ Psalm 150 (The Message)
For Monday, I thought a little praise would be a good way to start the week. I decided to use The Message version of this Psalm today. It somehow seems more accessible to me since there aren't many these days who play the lute (which is in the more traditional translations).
I love it because when I think of joyful music, castanets and banjos often come to my mind. I grew up in Texas where Mexican-American music often played in public spaces. The songs were always joyful to me and the castanets accentuated that.
I love it because even in a time when much of our news is bleak, it reminds me of all the things I have to be grateful for in God's world.
I reminds of where I can turn when the bleakness seems to be overwhelming.
That sometimes the very act of praise is balm for a weary soul.
Lord God, thank you for all the music and joy in my life and help me to notice it especially when things seem most dark. Amen.