He will rejoice over you with singing.

Have you ever suddenly been unable to find a child under your supervision? I will never forget the first time it happened to me. Thirty year ago it was. I was happily accompanying my young son's class on a field trip to a farm. We had had the excitement of riding on the big, yellow, school bus, checking out the pigs chickens, goats, cows, and horses, and eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and chocolate chip cookies all washed down with a container of milk. Finally it was time to head back to school..

One, two, three, four...I counted my charges clambering aboard only to discover that my own son was missing. He wasn't hanging out with other groups.He wasn't already on the bus. He wasn't in the Port-A-Potty. Where could he have gone? Panic began to set in as I backtracked our route through the farm. As I approached the horse barn, I saw a little male-child figure standing on an upper board of the pig sty enclosure. He was quite animated--waving his arms around. What on earth was he up to? With him, one never knew.

While hurrying toward him, not wanting to call out lest he startle and fall, I became aware of a sweet soprano voice ringing out.  What I observed as I got closer made me forget my worry. Instead, my heart swelled with happiness at the adorable sight. My little guy was standing on that battered, chewed-on fence singing Old McDonald Had A Farm at the top of his lungs. His skinny little arms waved with each "oink, oink," "honk, honk," and "moo, moo" that escaped his lips. "E,I,E,I,O." As he conducted his barn yard choir, the sows and piglets stared at him while noisily snorting away. In spite of being off-key and off-tempo, I think they rather liked the "With on oink, oink here and an oink, oink there"  part of the chorus.

This incident popped into my mind during a noon time visit to a local riverside park today. With my driver-side window rolled down, a crossword puzzle in my lap, and a burger in my hand, I began singing a silly ditty to the seagull pacing next to my car and giving me the evil eye. I sensed he was trying to guilt me into feeding him. I didn't fall for his valiant, "I'm a poor starving bird" act. Instead I sang a song of regret, explaining that people food wasn't good for gulls--something like, "Burgers and buns aren't good for the birds, little Buddy." He seemed to understand and flew away to see if he would have better luck getting salmon from the fisherman on the river bank.

As he took flight, I thought of Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you,
       He is mighty to save.
       He will take great delight in you,
       He will quiet you with His love,
       He will rejoice over you with singing.

then asked myself, "Self, why not rejoice over all of God's creation with singing, too? You take great delight in them." Since I have sung over my own children, seen my son sing over, and with, the pigs, and sung to my first seagull, who knows where I will next take delight and rejoice with singing? Will it be Licorice Kitty? 

Maybe I should have sung a song of praise over her when she chased a mouse across the living room floor last night. Or, maybe I should have sung a song of lament over the poor victim of her attack when I gently scooped it onto a newspaper and took it out the door--with Kitty still in stalking mode..

.Seriously though, I think I will try singing over things in which I take delight--my roses and rhodies, the Autumn colored trees and migrating birds, scudding clouds and raindrops. I had better get my voice warmed up because I will soon be singing over everything.

If I don't post for awhile, check the mental hospital, I may have been committed. 

"Yes, 911 dispatch, my neighbor is standing in the rain, singing to her trees and to the frog hopping down the road. I think she has lost it. Hurry before she starts singing to the weeds and the gravel "

Thankful for all things, especially my Lord who rejoices over me with singing. I wonder what he sounds like. Someday I'll know.

Jan