a purer conversation...

Hallelujah Out Loud...Should I or Shouldn't I?

Hallelujah!...Today I sat outside this book store reading this book waiting on a buddy who had gone in to make a purchase. All of the sudden: a shout, no no, a scream...."Hallelujah!" I immediately looked up as it caught me off guard. A man was coming out of the bookstore and for no obvious reason yelled at the top of his able lungs, "Hallelujah!" I admit chuckled to myself as the thought ran through my head, "Goofy charismatic..." Later, it hit me! This man, for whatever reason, felt like lifting his heart and voice to God in praise and was certainly free of concern of someone else's hearing it. Wow. The very fact that I was "caught off guard" and had the thought "goofy charismatic" shows my inward attitude. A man praises God out loud in public and I call him goofy!? Umm, seems like I've got "goofy" placed on the wrong person. Shame on me. David obviously had enough reason to shout such joyous melody when he wrote, "My cup overflows with blessings. Surely goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life," Psalm 23:5c-6. Who knows this man's reason to give such a shout? The fact is he was praising GOD with a seemingly honest heart!

Inward reflection...I'm not the type of person to be so outwardly open with my love and joy for our loving God and Savior. Frankly, unless I'm around someone or some group I feel "comfortable" with, I really wouldn't dare be so bold as to do what this man did just before he hopped in his car and carried on with his day. It leads me to wonder if there is a need for me, B.L., to be more vocal about my affection for God, His son, and the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. At this point I can honestly say that my conviction is not necessarily to shout the awesome name of God every chance I get, around every corner, and in every public place. My conviction is though to be a bit more open whenever I can be to God's "goodness and mercy, or unfailing love" to the point that if my heart all of the sudden bursts with joy, a shout of joy releases from deep within my soul, regardless of my "20". I wish I would have thought to run over to the man and say to him, "Sir, I just wanted to thank you for your openness to praise the Almighty Giver of Life with an open heart in an open place." Of course, the good things to do or say never seem to come until way after the given event. I will say on this World Wide Web with all of the electronic voice and heart I can possibly muster..."PRAISE GOD FOR HIS AMAZING GOODNESS AND MERCY!!!"

posted by Bryan Laramore @ 11:37 PM