A Celebration of Joy

A Celebration of Joy reminds us to praise God wholeheartedly, just as David did—with loud and joyful worship.

“David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their relatives as the singers, with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing to raise sounds of joy.”—1 Chronicles 15:16 NASB

David knew how to praise God. In many important moments of his life, he turned to music to help express his praise. He led by example and taught others how to use music to enter the presence of God.

One of these moments occurred when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. David “assembled all Israel at Jerusalem” (v. 3). There was a celebration of uninhibited joy, loud and exuberant!

Instruments, including “loud-sounding cymbals,” were played by skilled musicians. Special priests blew trumpets. As the music was played, David led the people in worship. They brought up the Ark with “shouting, and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps, and lyres” (v. 28).

The celebration continued after the Ark was placed “inside the tent which David had pitched for it” (16:1). He made public worship an ongoing priority, appointing certain Levites “to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel” (16:4). This worship, too, was to be loud, uninhibited, and joyful.

Here we see a model for the kind of worship that is described in Heaven, where “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands” of angels, living creatures, and elders praise God “with a loud voice” (Revelation 5:11–14).

Today, enter into worship without reservation. Your whole-hearted worship honors God. Don’t hold back for any reason, but celebrate His goodness. Loudly! Joyfully!

Reflection Question: How can you bring more joyful and uninhibited worship into your life?