A Joyful Sound

Psalm 89:15-17.  "Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance. In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted. For You are the glory of their strength.  And in Your favor our horn is exalted."

The Psalmist reminds us of the blessing of a joyful sound that God gives to us. Those who walk in the light are recipients of this joyful sound. 1 John 1: 7 speaks of this light. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,we will have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (NIV) This is the key to hearing the joyful sound.

There are many sounds in our world today that are not so joyful. These sounds upset us, frighten us, make us angry, separate us and even give us cause to want to give up. In these sounds we find no happiness or peace. If all we hear are the sounds coming from this sinful world we will become discouraged. We will not experience much joy, and we will not know the peace that God intends us to have if we truly belong to him. Our witness to the world will be weak. We will not be able to reflect the love of Jesus. A child of God is to rise above the dreadful sounds which are meant to rob us of God’s joy.

In contrast the Bible says to us that God has put a glorious sound in place, a joyful sound that will provide lasting happiness. We are blessed by this sound. Those who know this sound are exalted or lifted up. What is this sound? The best way I know to describe it is to refer to an old hymn that has been sung in our churches for many years, "We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves, Jesus saves" (Priscilla J. Owens, 1882). The joyful sound that has echoed across the ages is the proclamation that Jesus redeems all who will come to Him. Yes, the sound that we have heard and rings in our hearts today is Jesus saves, Jesus saves. When we know that sound we reside under the protection and peace of his presence. Jesus is our salvation and our strength. When we hear all the other worldly sounds we do not have to be afraid. We do not have to panic or dwell on the threats that come against us and waste our energy. No, listen to that beautiful sound in which you have because of whom you have placed your faith and trust. Jesus saves, Jesus saves. This is the only sound that matters.