One of the absolute joys of living on the Outer Banks is the constant presence of water. Canals, inlets, sounds, bays, creeks, and of course the magnificent ocean surround us with beauty and song. As I was driving to my office last week, I glanced in my rear view mirror and there it was…I could see the dunes, the sea oats, and the ocean itself as I headed west to my church. Sheer glory! Water, water, everywhere.

I remember standing out in the church parking lot after an evening worship service when I first moved here and hearing an unusual sound. It was a kind of dull roar or constant wooooshing sound that I couldn’t quite place. It was the ocean. A storm was coming in and we could hear it from a mile away. I had never heard the ocean at the church before and I was struck by the beauty of the sound that evening. The noisy bypass that lies between the church and the beach usually obliterates the sound of the crashing waves, but not that night.

When all of creation sings of the majesty and the power of God, we need to listen.

Psalm 98 (New King James Version)

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
For He has done marvelous things;
His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.
² The Lord has made known His salvation;
His righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

God is worthy of our songs and shouts of joy! He is the giver of every marvelous thing and has brought salvation by his holy arm. His faithfulness to his people is an opera of his great works on our behalf. We owe him our rejoicing and our praise songs.

⁴ Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth;
Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.
⁵ Sing to the Lord with the harp,
With the harp and the sound of a psalm,
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of a horn;
Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

So bring out the trumpets, the harps, and the horns! The Lord reigns, and his kingdom lasts forever. Even the sea roars in anticipation of his coming. The rivers clap their hands and the hills dance in his presence. Praise the Lord!

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell in it;
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
Let the hills be joyful together
⁹     before the Lord,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
With righteousness He shall judge the world,
And the peoples with equity.

Sing joyfully to the Lord, all the earth! Let us praise the Lord.