Robert Makes a Joyful Noise

By Del Duduit

The Bible clearly tells us in Psalms 98:4 to; “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” KJV

Now, I have the part about being loud down pretty good. However, I still need a whole bunch of work on the joyful portion of that verse.

I like to sing in the church choir because Larry, Dan, Roger and a few other men disguise my mistakes and drown me out. I also like to sing when I’m alone because I sound really good – at least that’s what I tell myself. And there is no one there to correct me or beg me to stop.

Singing and praising God has made me stronger, especially over the past several weeks. I’ve been praying and seeking God’s will to determine if my writing can be my ministry. I want it to be. I hope my stories bless someone and point them in the direction of Christ. My wife sings and plays the piano, and both of my boys preach. The only real talent I believe I have is the gift of writing.  So I’ve been trying to learn more by attending some Christian writing conferences.

A few days ago when I was at the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference near Orlando, I listened to several speakers. They were all wonderful, and I loved hearing their encouraging messages. I especially enjoyed Robert Gorini’s music ministry.

Robert led worship services each morning and evening during the week. He is an extremely talented musician and singer, and he uses his ability to praise God. He has a unique gift.

He is a full- time music and worship leader in a church near Daytona Beach, Fla., and this was his fifth FCWC.

I felt privileged to meet him one morning walking to breakfast.

He told me he enjoys coming to the Florida conference for a couple reasons. “I love the blend of different people from different backgrounds,” he said. “This is a special time and place, and I love it when different folks with the same faith get together. It just creates a wonderful atmosphere where singing is easy.”

I thoroughly enjoyed Robert leading the praise services each day. He just had a special spirit about him, and he sang from the heart.

He definitely made a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Now, this doesn’t mean anyone who wants to sing should just get on stage and do it. There is some talent involved. But the overall message God is telling us is to have joy and a song in our heart. If we have joy in our heart, we won’t be able to keep from praising Him.

“I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” Psalms 104:33 KJV

This means to sing unto the Lord in your own way. For me, it’s through my writing. For others, it may be through giving or witnessing or praying for people at the local hospital–whatever you can do to sing unto the Lord.

To me, singing praises unto the Lord as long as I live means to be thankful and do something to show God how much I love Him.

I’ve been in services where certain people should not have sung at all. It wasn’t because they were bad but because it was not in order. It was not done for the right reason. Don’t sing to be seen. Do it because you are called by God to sing, or because it’s your gift. I don’t get up and sing because I don’t possess that talent. My way of singing praises to God is in written form. It’s my unique gift, and the way I sing praises unto the Lord.

Robert has the gift of worship through music. It was all over him, and he blessed me and everyone at the conference.

I want my gift to bless people too.

I received some feedback this week on a recent blog I wrote about Randy, whom I met at the conference. Many of the comments were encouraging and made me feel like I was doing something important and worthwhile. I really enjoy the comments, and they inspire me to keep going. Sometimes when I get down, I look back at some comments to recharge me. One lady sent me a message through Twitter and told me the blog brought her to tears because she had experienced a similar situation. She thanked me. That blessed me and was a witness I am doing the right thing.

I enjoy telling other people’s stories because I believe God uses everyday people. I love being the avenue to tell those stories. I make my joyful noise through my blogs.

What is your gift? How can you make a joyful noise unto the Lord?

I’d like to hear about it.