Shout for Joy!

Psalm 20:4-5

May he give you the desire of your heart
    and make all your plans succeed.
May we shout for joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.

The Savannah Banana’s baseball game at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati did not disappoint. The Bananas are an exhibition baseball team who put on a family friendly show. They employ music as a venue for fan participation. They create trick plays with gymnastic moves, stilts, and crazy costumes. The opposing team, The Texas Tailgaters, even had a player bat while riding a unicycle. It’s like the circus met baseball, and they played baseball well. All in good fun, the crowd cheered loudly and sang even louder.

The Bananas involved several children and adults in the evening festivities, while we had fun sharing laughter and cheering the teams on. The energy in the stadium roared when Sean Casey, one of my favorite retired Reds players, along with Todd Frazier took a turn at bat, and for Bronson Arroyo as he strummed his guitar and sang with one of the players.

A few days after the game, I read Psalm 20. When David mentioned shouts for joy and banners raised for God, I remembered the roar of the crowd at the game. I want to praise the one who made me, the God of the universe, even more than anything on this earth.

When I pray, I strive to praise, when I sing, I try to to sing with thanksgiving, when I write about Jesus, I want to shine a light on my Savior.

One of the things I love about joining with believers on Sunday morning is the praise time, when we lift our voices together and sing praise to the Father. 

Let your praises roar!