Rambling from Retirement – Join the Flock
By Retired Pastor Lee Hemen
April 28, 2021

Today as I came home from our Men’s Prayer the birds in my front yard trees were singing so loudly you could hardly hear anything else. They seemed to be just full of the joy of being alive, free, and just being birds. Even though they were not all in sync or in harmony it was wonderful to hear and it got me to thinking about the Psalm we had just read and prayed about as a group of men.

The Psalmist writes his listeners to “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:1-3 NIV)” He invited others to join him in a cacophony of singing praises to God simply because He is God. The birds in my trees reminded me of the Psalmist’s words for us to join him in song.

Like those birds who sing simply because they are birds God desires that we sing as well to Him simply because we too are the work of His hands. In fact if you read further you discover that indeed He “is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care”! Therefore His people should sing His praises no matter where they are from. All races, nations, and all peoples who love God should be willing to join with one another in singing God’s wonderful praises in the spiritual harmony of one spirit and one mind yet from different backgrounds.

In our world today we are encouraged to be divisive. Some raise their fists in anger and see it as a badge of honor yet it is pride-filled and selfish. The world desires that we segregate ourselves into “camps” in an “us versus them” separation in order for us to continue to be suspicious, angry, or hateful towards one another. Yet we learn that God does not see us as the world does nor does He desire that we respond as the world would. How wonderful to be invited by Him to join with others no matter whom they are together in one song of praise and worship of Him! Can you imagine the noise that God hears each day when we come together wherever we are, whoever we are, and whenever we can to sing the joy of being His? I am sure it is noisier than those birds in the trees in my yard!

Dear child of God do not get caught up in the world’s anger, myopic view of mankind, or their divisiveness, instead join with fellow believers and be like the birds on a fine spring day and become part of the cacophony of believers singing the praises of our God. Join the flock today.

This article is copyrighted © 2021 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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