Let us make a joyful noise... 

     Located about three miles from the shores of the Gulf of Suez, in the Desert of Mount Sinai, lies the 1,200 feet high Mountain of the Bell. On the western side of this nearly three mile long mountain are gigantic slopes of blown sand. When disturbed by storm winds, these sands make a joyful noise resembling the deep bass notes of an organ.
     Like the disturbed sands of the Mountain of the Bell, people also tend to make noise when they are disturbed. At such times, we have a choice as to what kind of noise we are going to make. We can either become disgruntled and complain like the children of Israel dwelling in the wilderness, or we can be like the sands of Sinai and "make a joyful noise" (Ps 98:4).
     Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that "the joy of the Lord is (our) strength." Let us therefore choose to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord" (Ps 100:1) and trust Him to "work all things together for good" (Rm 8:28 Paraphrased), so "that there be no complaining" (Ps 144:14).