SHOUT!

All the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord —Ezra 3:11

I have a pastor friend in California whose church motto is: “Where The Shout Has Not Died Out.” I like that. Unfortunately, the shout has died out in the lives of many Christians, if was ever there in the first place. They look like they live on the dark side of the moon—There is no joy in their countenance, no gleam in their eyes, no smile on their lips. Sad.

Last week I visited my friend Pastor Ken Blue. He is in the late stages of ALS. He must be fed with a feeding tube, breathes with great difficulty, can hardly speak, and is confined to a motorized wheel chair. YET, he still beams with a smile when I visit him. The joy of the Lord is still reflected on his face! What a blessing to be with him. But, then I look at some Christians who are healthy, but they seldom crack a smile, much less give a shout of joy. It makes me wonder what Pastor Blue has that they don’t have (besides ALS)? Strange.

I love this story of a preacher named William Sangster.  While he was still in his fifties, he was diagnosed with the terminal illness that would take his life. When he was forced to give up his pulpit, he threw himself into writing books and organizing prayer groups for missions. Eventually, he was completely bedridden and his voice was gone. He could still grasp a pen enough to write. In a letter to his daughter penned just weeks before his death Sangster wrote, “It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, ‘He is risen!’—but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout.”

Do you still have a voice? Are you using it to praise the Lord?