2 Chronicles 5:13
“13 it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the Lord,
‘For he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever’,
the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud,”
Let’s jump back to the Old Testament today. 2 Chronicles 5 tells of the celebration after Solomon has finished building the Temple and he is transferring the articles of worship from the Tabernacle, the original focus of worship from the wilderness journey, to the finished Temple. Everyone was decked out in their finest robes, sacrifices uncountable were offered and the worship service was so moving. Verse 13 tells us that the instruments and the people were praising in unison. Unity and harmony mark truly outstanding worship, not dissonance and discord. I also note that the focus was not just creating good music but it was focused on the goodness of God and his steadfast love that endures.
God’s love is steadfast. Let’s chew on that for a minute. God loves us when we are up and when we are down, whether we have our makeup on, whether we are performing at the top of our game. God is not a fickled lover who is all passion when the lights are low but distant when distracted by the concerns of the job of the universe. God’s love is steadfast and we can depend on it, lean on it, and be secure in it.
“God’s love endures forever.” As I age and now visit my husband in a memory ward and see the Alzheimer residents curled in balls, unresponsive, a shadow of their former selves, I must remind myself that God’s love does not discard us when we are no longer beautiful in the eyes of the world. Like loved ones who visit a person who seemingly has forgotten self and others, like those loved ones God is there, lovingly enduring with the person traveling the valley of the shadow of death.
God is praised when our thanksgiving is given in unity, blending our differences. May we never forget that God is committed to draw us to him. God is invested in us. I is for ….., N is for ….., V is for ….., E is for ….., S is for ……, T is for …… Thank you Lord.
On the Way to Wonder 