Don't Let the Rocks Cry Out

  Day 21 of 90 Days Through the New Testament 

Daily Reading Luke 19-21

   Day 21 of 90 days Through the New Testament had me singing "Zacchaeus was a wee little man a wee little man was he. Claimed up in a sycamore tree to see what he could see" It reminded me of being a child and worshipping without a care.

   Somewhere along the line as we grow up we stop worshipping as care free as we used to. The scriptures go on in Luke 19 to tell of the Triumphant entry. How the people praised him as he entered the city riding a donkey. The Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke his followers for it and Jesus replys that if they didn't praise him the rocks would cry out.

   I dont want the rocks to cry out in my place. And as I stood in the street last night praising Jesus at our city outreach I did hesitate at first. It felt a little awkward and weird to be standing in the street, in the middle of a fall festival and worshipping Jesus. But as I continued to sing it felt so strongly in my spirit that if i didn't the rocks would surely cry out in my place. So I pushed the hesitation aside and worshipped my heart our in the street to an audience of only one that mattered.

    As I stood there under the glow of the streetlights, music echoing through the fall air, I realized how easy it is to let fear or self-consciousness hush our praise. We worry about who’s watching, how it looks, or what others might think. And somewhere along the way we stopped worshipping the way we once did as children, pure, joyful, and unfiltered.

    Zacchaeus climbed that tree with childlike boldness. He didn’t care who saw him, he just wanted to see Jesus. That’s the kind of hunger that moves the heart of God. And when Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the people’s praise poured out like waves, uncontained, unashamed, unstoppable. The Pharisees wanted to quiet it, but Jesus made it clear....If they stopped, creation itself would take over the song.

    That’s the kind of praise I want to live with. The kind that doesn’t need a perfect setting or a church building. The kind that can fill a street, a kitchen, a car, or a classroom. The kind that says, “Even if no one else joins in, I’ll still sing.” When I lifted my voice last night, it wasn’t about being seen—it was about seeing Him. And somewhere between my first hesitant note and the next, that childlike wonder came flooding back. I felt free again.

Because worship was never meant to be about who’s around, it’s always been about the one who is worthy.

    So today, don’t hold back. Don’t let the rocks cry out in your place. Lift your voice, your hands, your heart right where you are. Whether it’s loud or quiet, public or private, Jesus deserves every ounce of praise we can give.

Love Pastor Mandy