That’s Serious Shouting Ground

My sisters and I know a few things about forced celebrations. We participated in our fair share of them while traveling with our parents on those yesteryear vacations.

Cyndie, Rhonda, and I were a regular backseat trio of discontented warriors. We complained, we argued, and we fought until Papa would break in with one of his infamous rulings. “We’re on vacation,” he’d say. “And we’re gonna have fun! If you girls know what’s good for you, y’all will act like you’re enjoying yourselves, whether you are or not!”

We girls would try to comply because we did indeed know what was good for us, but we were poor actresses, putting on happy faces because it’s what was expected instead of in response to what we were experiencing.

I ran across a verse in Isaiah recently that took me back to those don’t worry be happy pronouncements of Papa’s. Isaiah 12:6 reads, “Cry aloud and shout, thy inhabitant of Zion, for great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 12.6

Having the Holy One in our midst is without a doubt worthy of crying aloud and shouting, but let’s be honest. If we understand He is with us as fact, but we aren’t experiencing His Presence as a reality, our celebration is going to sound forced at best.

I believe the church has grown used to merely acting like new life in Christ is shouting ground instead of actually experiencing it. While intellectually we agree that living with God in our very midst should work us up into the type of daily celebration depicted in Isaiah, far too often we accept a paler version. I’ve come to think of it as less-than living. But, I’ve got solid good news! Less-than living is not biblical and it’s a permanent condition only for those who allow it to be.

If you’ll settle for nothing less than genuine intimacy with God, you can find yourself crying aloud and shouting with genuine Biblical passion. Can I get an amen?

Hugs, Shellie