There is one consistent joy that I’ve discovered during my time serving in public schools. That joy is the sound of 5-9-year-olds playing. Whether in the gym or on the playground, their loud and joyful voices make me smile. They don’t care if the economy has soured. They have no concept of political and racial divisions. Their only focus is the fun of the moment and the joy of play. In the grand sweep of things, the sound of children at play seems powerless. But both the Psalms and Jesus underlined its strength.
“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8, NLT)
Jesus quoted this psalm in response to some upset religious leaders. This moment is during Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem while the crowds shout Hosanna. “The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” (Matthew 21:15–16, NLT)
Consider this for a moment. Infants do not speak with articulate words or arguments but with babble, coos, and cries. Their sounds are a praise to the God who made them. Sounds of praise, whether natural or purposeful, are powerful. They are reminders of God’s majesty that is evident in all creation.
The awesome depth of the night sky, the majestic rise of mountains, the wonder of a painted dawn or twilight sky, and the joy of hearing children play all declare God’s majestic name without saying a word. Praise is so powerful that it silences enemies.
You don’t need to wait to witness God’s glory in creation to praise. Whenever the enemy whispers in your ear or shouts at you in anger, we have the weapon of praise. Whatever the attack of the moment is, temptation or destruction, the enemy is silenced when we praise God. However, note this; praise is more than words. It’s not a magic formula of certain words but feelings of awe, gratitude, joy, wonder, and love toward God. He knows the language of our heart; it’s how He hears the praise of infants.
“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.”
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