Julie Lavender

He Exults With Loud Singing

By Julie Lavender

(Note: A shorter version of the article below appeared first on the Christian Authors Network (CAN) blog. Here's a brief synopsis of CAN, as quoted from their website here "CAN is a group of traditionally published Christian authors who have joined together in a supportive association to spread the news about books to book lovers everywhere. We operate as a cooperative, Christ-centered marketing organization, to encourage and teach one another, and get the word out about CAN authors’ books to readers, retailers, and librarians." 

I've been a member of CAN for about six months now, and I've enjoyed being part of the group. It's such a supportive, encouraging bunch of writers. I think you'll enjoy reading the blogs and articles on the site. You'll be encouraged; you'll learn the background story of some recently published books, and you'll learn more about the writing journey. 

Please enjoy my blog post below, and then check out the site for more inspirational posts. )

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17 ESV).

I love walking with God anywhere, but I especially like the quiet, serene walks where I’m surrounded by God’s creations. Recently, I walked and talked to God in the silence of a north-Georgia mountain path, enjoying the beauty around me. The quite enveloped me much as the foliage on the path did.

But then I paused long enough to realize that it was anything but noiseless.

Crickets chirped in the distance.

A mockingbird sang from a branch overhead.

Two squirrels chattered and scolded, undoubtedly responding to the hawk that just screeched his presence.

Frogs croaked near the edge of the babbling stream off to the left of my path.

Wind whispered through the pines, rustling the needles ever-so-gently.

A brown thrasher flitting about on top of dry leaves, shuffling them out of the way to look for worms.

And that one noise – oh, my, was it loud! Cicadas.

A quiet walk? Not so much!

The sounds of God’s creations serenaded me, bringing to mind the verse in Zephaniah, “… he will exult over you with loud singing.” His masterpieces tickled my ears with songs from their Creator.

Knowing that God sings over me encourages me to explore Bible verses about ME singing praises back to HIM. 

Here's a few I've found and love:

*I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 89:1 ESV

*Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works! Psalm 105:2 ESV

*I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104:33 NIV

*May your priests be clothed with your righteousness; may your faithful people sing for joy. Psalm 132:9 NIV

What's your favorite verse about singing to the Lord? 

Thank you, God, for your constant presence. Thank you for a glimpse of your love and gladness and for songs of exultation. Please help me never miss the serenade.

365 Ways to Love

Julie Lavender is a journalist, author, and former homeschooling mom of twenty-five years who holds a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education. She is married to her-high school and college sweetheart, David, a wildlife biologist, who’s spent the last thirty-seven years encouraging her to love and appreciate all of God’s creations. Julie’s parenting book, 365 Ways to Love Your Child: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories, releases in October.