When I think loud, I think of Arrowhead Stadium, September 29, 2014, Chiefs vs Patriots— “the loudest crowd roar inside a sports stadium”. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a world record holder. I think of the New York Stock Exchange (pre-electronic trading) with its deafening Clang! Clang! Clang! of the opening bell, the mayhem of phones ringing and frenzied brokers trying to outshout each other in all-out bidding wars on the trading floor.
Some find loud invigorating. Others consider it noise pollution. Sensory overload. They prefer the peaceful ticking of a clock, leaves stirring in a soft breeze, mellow music playing in the background.
But there’s nothing quiet about this earth. It may be a footstool for God’s feet and the nations like specks of dust in the scales[i], but this is a noisy place. Can you imagine the dangerously-high decibel levels of sound that reach heaven’s ears? Airways surrounding earth are exploding 24/7 with all sorts of noise. Bad and good. Many we’re not even aware of.
For starters, God heard Abel’s blood crying out from the ground[ii]. Who woulda thunk? How about the blood of countless other innocents (unborn and older) spilled at the murderous hands of others throughout the ages?
Then there’s the shriek of sin like that of Sodom and Gomorrah[iii]. We can thank the Amplified version for that explicit detail. The disturbing thing about it is that those shrieks have carried on through time.
What about at the foot of the mount where God met with Moses?[iv] Those weren’t shouts of war, or victory, or the cry of the defeated Joshua heard, but the racket of partying in Israel’s camp. God heard it first. He’s hearing it still.
Wait! There’s more!
There’re those shameful, deceitful, malicious words spoken in darkness, whispered in the ear. Ears should be burning with all that’s been (and is still being) said behind closed doors.[v] Is nothing sacred?
If backbiting and slamming others isn’t bad enough, throughout history the enemy’s raging against God, his arrogance and careless ease have come to My ears.[vi]
I could go on and on with the uproar of the multitudes, the tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together, the noise of idolatry upon the high places.[vii] Multiply that noise a bazillion times through the ages.
How does God withstand such racket? Either He contains within Himself some ingenious, supersonic sound-filtering system, or His nerves are made of steel. I imagine both.
Let’s not forget the groans of creation, the groans of the prisoner, the voice of lamentation and bitter weeping of mothers refusing to be comforted over lost children.[viii]
You guessed it. God hears it all.
At the same time, there’s an incredible amount of noise rising from another camp. Especially as the day of the Lord’s return draws near.
The heavens are declaring God’s glory. Creation testifies loudly of its Creator and has done so from day one of its conception.[ix] And if I’m not mistaken, it’s added some not-too-subtle prophetic rumblings and creaks and groans since we first believed.
Generations upon generations of whosoevers from all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues have called upon and are calling upon the name of the Lord.[x]
In response, the blood of Jesus is speaking a better, significantly louder word than that of Abel’s.[xi] An atoning, purifying, forever-and-ever-and-ever word over those made righteous by it.
God’s ears are around-the-clock listening to His children’s cries. To their confession of sins.[xii]Evening, and morning, and at noon the righteous are praying. They are crying aloud. They are praying in secret. They’re praying without ceasing.[xiii]
Those who reverence the Lord are speaking one to another about Him. They’re speaking often. Getting louder. He’s recording every one of those words in His book of remembrance.[xiv]
Spirit-charged voices raised at Pentecost have reverberated many times over through the centuries.[xv] Through the course of history, people have shouted unto God with the voice of triumph, sung loud praises, played songs upon their instruments—at times shaking earth with their noise. Children sing, “Hosanna to the Son of David”, and through them God is perfecting praise.[xvi]
Did I leave anything out? Probably. I tell you this place is getting louder by the day.
One day when human history reaches its redemptive climax and the kingdoms of this world become (the possession) of our Lord, and of His Christ, heaven and earth will have finally become one voice.[xvii]
Till then . . . to borrow the phrase, “the squeaky wheel gets the oil” (i.e., the loudest gets the attention), all I can say to my fellow lovers of Christ is, “Make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let’s make some (more) noise!”
[i] Isaiah 66:1; 40:15 [ii] Genesis 4:10 [iii] Genesis 18:20 [iv] Exodus 32:7, 17–18 [v] Luke 12:2–3 [vi] 2 Kings 19:28; Psalm 2:1 [vii] Isaiah 17:12–13; 13:4; Jeremiah 3:21–23 [viii] Romans 8:19–22; Psalm 102:20; Jeremiah 31:15–16 [ix] Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20; Genesis 1 [x] Joel 2:32; Revelation 7:9; Romans 10:13 [xi] Hebrews 12:24 [xii] Psalm 34:15; 145:19; 1 John 1:9 [xiii] Matthew 6:6–13; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 [xiv] Malachi 3:16 [xv] Acts 2; Martin Luther and the Reformation, the Welsh Revival, Azusa Street, Latter-Day Rain movement, Vineyard movement, Toronto Outpouring, Brownsville, etc. [xvi]Psalm 47:1; Psalm 33:3; Ezra 33:3; 1 Chronicles 15:28; 1 Kings 1:40; Matthew 21:16 [xvii]Revelation 11:15
amen and amen!!