How Sweet The Sound!

She was sitting in a booth at the restaurant we were at and there were 5 other children who were all approximately the same age as her, maybe 6 years old and younger, sitting with her.  They were busy and loud, but not in a naughty way, just in a way that happens when you get a group of children together.  My back was to their little group but I could see them clearly in the reflection of the window.  She caught my eye because she was trying to get everyone in the booth organized, but, they weren’t listening to her all.  They were so busy talking and giggling at the same time, but, she didn’t give up.  I was curious as to why she was trying to get their attention so yes, I stared and watched their little group. 
She would let them talk for a short while and then she would tap her hand on the table.  Nothing. Finally after a number of tries she caught their attention for a split second and she quickly began to sing.  Amazing Grace.  Not the new version, the old John Newton version.  She kept time with her little hand on the table and she managed to get a couple of the other children to sing with her.  It was really pretty.  She closed her eyes and swayed her head in time to the music and within a short period of time they finished the first verse;

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

She then began singing the second verse;

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;

About halfway through, the others began talking again.  She was losing them, but, she didn’t give up.  She then tapped her hand quite loudly on the table to get their attention and raised her voice:  One, two three!  They still ignored her and the tapping got louder and so did the counting!  One little girl finally decided to join her and together they began the second verse again;

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Her eyes closed and she sang her heart out managing to finish the verse completely this time, but, again, she lost her little following.  The giggles started and more conversation and so did the tapping.  She realized that this time she had utterly lost them so she started tapping with both hands banging them on the table with great force and began the count again: One, two, three!  No one listened, but, she kept trying: One, two, three!  The boy beside her began talking directly into her face as if to get her to rather join in their conversation and give up the whole singing idea.  She simply covered the ear that he was talking into and continued tapping with the other hand.  Finally she simply began singing;

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

No one paid any attention, no one joined in, but it didn’t matter.  She sang solo.  At the top of her lungs. She kept her ear covered, kept tapping her hand on the table and sang her little heart out.  And when she was done that verse she tapped and counted and began singing the song all over again.  Over the loud din of her little friends the words to Amazing Grace came through, her volume level rising as much as she could to hear herself over the noise.  Three times she sang Amazing Grace, she wouldn’t give up.  No matter how loud everyone was around her, no matter that no one was listening to her anymore, no matter that she had to close her eyes and cover her ear to continue her song, she sang with gusto.  And in that moment watching her reflection in the window, hearing her beautiful little voice singing directly to God, above all the noise around her, well, I know that God was smiling.  He heard her praises.

Sometimes I have felt like that.  Life becomes overwhelming; things are happening all around me, my world becomes exceptionally busy and sadly my first thought is not to stop, cover my ears and lift my voice in praise but to try and figure everything out on my own.  I might try tapping my hands on the table to get attention; I may cover my ears to keep out the noise of the world, but, to lift my voice above the din of this world?  Well, I'll be honest, it's not always the first thing that I do.  Sometimes I add more noise by telling God about all the things I need His help for, prayers that are always asking for something, words that often begin and end with 'me' and then there are times I say nothing and let the noise rise above and take over my world and I leave God out completely. 

What do we do when that moment comes and we feel no desire to sing to the One who has saved us because we're tired and sad and broken?  What happened to get us to that point in our life when our requests completely overtake our praises to Him?  When did we let the world and circumstances around us decide that we could no longer lead the choir of voices acknowledging the saving grace of God? 

 It's at that point, when we are at our lowest, when we feel like it the least that we need to cover our ears, tap our hands and say, one, two, three and then sing our hearts out and let God's Spirit fill us with exactly what we need in that moment!  His grace and mercy will be there, His love and peace will surround you, the joy of His Spirit will fill you!  Even when you just want to sing praise to Him, you always receive something from Him in return.  And it will be just for you, exactly in that moment and no one yelling in your ear can take that away!

This little girl reminded me of that.  She was the perfect example of what God desires from us.  Praise and honor and glory…no matter what your circumstances.

1 Thessalonians 5:18  “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”