Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all. We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, Our sins too much for us— but you get rid of them once and for all. Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place! We expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly manse. All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot— Far and wide they’ll come to a stop, they’ll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, “Come and worship.” Oh, visit the earth, ask her to join the dance! Deck her out in spring showers, fill the God-River with living water. Paint the wheat fields golden. Creation was made for this! Drench the plowed fields, soak the dirt clods With rainfall as harrow and rake bring her to blossom and fruit. Snow-crown the peaks with splendor, scatter rose petals down your paths, All through the wild meadows, rose petals. Set the hills to dancing, Dress the canyon walls with live sheep, a drape of flax across the valleys. Let them shout, and shout, and shout! Oh, oh, let them sing! -Psalms‬ ‭65:1-13‬ (msg)

It is a good day to know that God is God above it all. Join in the dance and lift your praises! 

This morning I was reflecting on our family’s ping-ponging journey. Mason is finally old enough that he offers a real challenge. It is so much fun. It took me five years to beat Bobby… he says once, I say thrice. Mason has beat me a couple times, but has yet to usurp Bobby. Anyway, Mason was talking about how the other two kiddos don’t want to play ping-pong with him. I advised him to let them win a little in a teaching sense. Don’t just keep smashing the ball at them. I reminded him that both his dad and I did the same with all of them. The other two are growing in their own ping-pong right – but their bodies are still growing into themselves. I don’t care so much about winning – but it sure is fun to play and get that ball moving. When we first got the table, my quads were sore just from picking the ball up off the floor so many times.

I can’t help but see how real this is in our faith and life. It is a journey… but not a journey where we somehow reign victorious over others, but a journey in which we grow and we help others to grow with us, bringing goodness for all His children. We have a tendency to get so consumed with self and our own progress, forgetting how gracious God was and is with us.

I don’t suppose the ping-pong story is directly related to this psalm other than it reminds me that God is woven into our very beings, and if we are looking, we can find Him working in all we do. Even our silence is praise to Him – because in our silence we put aside our agendas, quit worrying, and know that God is working and He is enough. Amen.

Video: BCS covers ‘Sing Wherever I Go’.