A Prayer to Wake with a Joyful Noise
By Kristine Brown
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” (Psalm 100:1 ESV)
When I wake up each morning, I’m rarely ready to face the battles awaiting me. As I lay in bed thinking about the day ahead, my mind fixates on the problems I prayed about the night before. I want to begin each day with joy, but instead, I entertain feelings of defeat before I even get out of bed. In those groggy moments between sleep and becoming fully awake, worry seems to find me. I’m too tired to focus on my weapons of warfare, so the enemy uses that time to prime his attack. Worries affect my mindset. So instead of starting my day with gratitude and joy, I find myself wanting to just get through it. Then, the bad attitude in my heart flows into every part of my day and every person I interact with.
Psalm 100 begins with a call to “make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” I love how the psalmist starts with a determination to shout with a voice of triumph. What would happen if we could begin our days with this same attitude of praise to the Lord? Would we exude more joy that would spill over into our daily routines? Would the battles we face seem less overwhelming?
The New International Version of Psalm 100:1 begins, “Shout for joy to the Lord.” The Hebrew word for “shout” used in this psalm translates, “to raise a battle cry; sound a trumpet blast; shout in triumph or exaltation.” We see this same word used in Joshua 6, when the Israelites were about to enter the land God promised them. They knew a battle awaited them in the city of Jericho. Joshua had sent two men to spy out the land and bring back a report. Although God’s people didn’t know exactly what to expect, they marched into battle equipped and ready for Joshua’s command.
God instructed Joshua and the Israelites to circle the walls of Jericho once a day for six days in complete silence. On the seventh day, they were to circle seven times. Then, the priests would sound their horns. Joshua 6:5 describes the scene, “And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” The Israelites woke early, knowing of their impending battle. They chose to obey the Lord and trust him with the outcome. God used their joyful noise to destroy the walls and give them victory.
In the same way, we can wake each morning with a joyful shout. We can face each day knowing the outcome belongs to the Lord. Making a joyful noise doesn’t necessarily mean we need to shout, but we can have a joyful battle cry in our hearts that will propel us into a grateful attitude. If you woke up today with worries on your mind instead of a joyful noise in your heart, it’s never too late to turn it around. God hears our battle cry.
Let’s pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for this day. You are a good and faithful God. As I wake each morning, help me face my days with gratitude and trust in you alone. Help me wake with a joyful noise. Forgive me for letting worry sit like a heavy weight on my mind. Even though I know there are battles ahead, I can choose to trust you with the outcome. I refuse to begin this day overcome with worry about things beyond my control. I believe you will fight for me, so I am starting today with a shout of praise. Lord, you are my Protector and Deliverer! I have reason to celebrate because of who you are. I claim Psalm 100:1 as my battle cry, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” My circumstances may look scary, and I may not know what to expect. But I know that you are God. You made me, and I am yours. (Psalm 100:3) I pray the gratitude I have will overflow to the people in my life today. I pray they will see that the joy of the Lord is my strength. (Nehemiah 8:10)
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Charday Penn
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Originally published Friday, 08 March 2024.
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