“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.”
(Psalm 100:1 KJV)
The grocery store was crowded, carts squeaked down the aisles, and fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead. Amid the noise, a small, clear voice rose from a shopping cart, a little boy, no more than five, sat humming joyfully as his mother pushed him down the cereal aisle.
His tune wasn’t polished or purposeful, but it was full of joy. He made up the melody as he went, bouncing with each turn of the cart’s wheels, his eyes bright with simple happiness.
“Shhh!” his mother hissed, glancing at the other shoppers who turned with amused smiles. “People are staring. Stop that humming.”
The boy’s face fell. He looked down, quiet now, shrinking into the cart like he wanted to disappear.
Days later, something changed.
The boy, once so bubbly, became strangely silent. He no longer sang. No longer hummed. He stopped speaking altogether. Doctors gave it a name - selective mutism, brought on by anxiety. No physical cause, just silence.
It was then the mother remembered that day in the store. Her heart broke. She would have given anything to hear that little voice hum again, even if the whole world stared. What she once scolded, she now longed for.
Psalm 100:1 calls all the earth to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” Not a perfect one. Not a quiet one. A joyful one. Children often do this best - uninhibited, unashamed, and unaware of who’s watching.
But sometimes, we shush what God delights in.
We hush the joyful noise because it doesn’t fit our schedule, our mood, or our standards of “order.” Yet God’s heart is stirred by the pure praise that bubbles up from joy. Even when it’s just a child’s humming in a shopping cart.
The mother in this story didn’t realize how sacred that small sound was - until it was gone.
Let’s not silence what God treasures. Let’s not be too quick to scold what may be a song heaven is smiling on.
Prayer:
"Lord, forgive me for the times I’ve quieted joy—whether in myself or others. Teach me to welcome joyful noise, especially the kind that comes from a sincere heart. Help me to celebrate the songs of others and not worry about appearances. I want to make a joyful noise to You today—unashamed and unrestrained.
Amen."
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