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The Joyful Noise Principle: Worshiping God As He Deserves

The Joyful Noise Principle: Worshiping God As He Deserves

Last updated on: August 5, 2026 at 10:37 am by David Weiss

The Joyful Noise Principle: Worshiping God As He Deserves 2026-08-05T10:37:22-04:00 David Weiss

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Image of the Author rocking out in his minivan made in Google Gemini and manipulated buy the author.

I’d like to say they sing like no one is watching, but that’s not it. It’s that they aren’t comparing themselves to anyone else. | Image of the Author rocking out in his minivan made in Google Gemini and manipulated buy the author.

I am not a good singer…

There, I said it. Now don’t get me wrong. I can rock out in the privacy of my own car, and sometimes I even harbor the illusion that I don’t sound that bad. You might say I have taken the adage seriously, that I sing like no one is watching. In some cases, I’m sure they are, and I’m sure I look ridiculous. The truth is, I don’t care.

Why Don’t I Do That In Church?

The question is, why don’t I do that in church? The answer to that is blatantly obvious. There are other people around and they might hear me. I know how I sound and I’m self conscious, so I hold back. Especially when I’m standing in front, because I am the worshiper who is facing the wrong direction, AKA the pastor. But still I ask why? Am I trying to be considerate of others, or am I just trying to save face? I’m not sure I like my answer, and it’s an important question.

Comparison

The thing is, I have working ears. I hear the other singers and I know they sound a lot better than me. My gifts don’t compare to their gifts and talents. And I know it, but here’s the thing. I don’t handle other areas of life and even worship that way. I’ve often said, comparison is deadly, especially in the church, because it leaves you in one of two places. You’ll either look at others and say, “They’re so much better than me, that I don’t know why I’d try,” or “I’m so much better than them, that I don’t know why they try.” It will either leave you prideful or discouraged and neither of those is pleasing to God.

Worship paintings by the author

Confidence

I love painting during the worship service. People even bring me into their churches to do just that. I go into church and paint a large painting in six to ten minutes, and then use that painting to lead into the message I am going to give. Here’s the thing. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, I’m not the best painter in the world. I’m probably not even the best painter in the room in most places. Further, I know the painting I do in any given service is not the best painting I can do. Rather, it’s the best painting I can do in six to ten minutes. To paint that quickly, I need to let perfectionism go, and I have to be okay with that. I have to be confident in the gift God has given me and I have to go out there and paint.

The Object of the “Game”

The thing is, it’s easy for me to do that because I know the painting is not the object of the game. It’s there for something larger. The painting has a bigger purpose. The painting exists to draw people into the message. If it does that, it has served its purpose. It may not be the most beautiful thing in the world, but if it draws someone closer to the Lord, well, that is a beautiful thing. Maybe that’s the key.

Worship Beyond Comparison

This Summer, I spent four amazing weeks serving the Haven Campers at Delta Lake Bible Conference Center in Rome, New York. Haven Camp is a camp for adults with developmental difficulties. I love to preach and paint for them, but I really love to worship with them. You see, they have worship down. Some of them sing pretty well. From a technical perspective, many do not, but you know what? It’s some of the most beautifully sincere worship you ever wanted to hear. I’d like to say they sing like no one is watching, but that’s not it. It’s that they aren’t comparing themselves to anyone else. They’ve mastered the concept.

The Concept

You see, I think they realize something the rest of us need to get a handle on. They realize worship is not a contest. It’s a concert—a concert for an audience of One, and that One is the One who gave us our voices. He’s not surprised by our singing ability or lack thereof, because our voices are His gift to us, and when we sing, we offer that gift back to the giver. It’s an act of praise. And if we lift our voices to Him in praise as best we can, He is pleased. When I hold back my praise for fear of what others might think, I don’t know what I’m doing, but it’s not worship. God deserves more.

Joyful Noise

As a mediocre (at best) singer, I take comfort in Psalm 100:1. “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!” I can’t sing well, but I can make a joyful noise. It turns out, there’s more to it than that. The Hebrew word translated as “noise” (or “shout”) in Psalm 100:1 is rúag or rua. It means to split the ears with a sound, translating to a loud shout, a battle cry, an alarm, or a triumphant and jubilant cry of joy. Our worship singing can be all of that and more. At times it is a cry in the midst of battle. It can also be triumphant and in the midst of it all is joy. We serve a God who fights our battles, a God for whom victory is sure. So even in the midst of trial, He is worthy of our praise.

Consider Nehemiah

After the exile, Nehemiah and the people of Judah took on the arduous task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. At the completion of the project, someone found the book of God’s law, and it was read to the people. What was supposed to be a time of celebration quickly became a time of weeping and mourning. It seems the people heard in the law the reasons they ended up in captivity and exile for seventy years in the first place. Further, I can’t help but wonder if they wondered how easy it would be for them to fall away again. Instead of celebrating, they began to mourn. Nehemiah had to put a stop to that.

Strength in Joy

Nehemiah reminded the people. “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) You see if we get caught up in sorrow, we can end up forgetting the One who brings victory. He is worthy of our praise and of our worship. His joy is our strength, so lift your voice to the One who is worthy. Make a joyful noise.

What About the Talented?

Is that your question? I’ve had the privilege of seeing some of the finest worship musicians and vocalists in the world. Nothing they do could be considered noise, and I am certainly not disparaging their gifts, nor am I questioning the sincerity of their worship. Worship is about faithfulness. It is about bringing the best we have to the best of our ability and joyfully offering it to the Lord. Whether I am singing or painting or whatever else I do, the real object of the “game” is to give God our joyful best. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The beholder in this case is the God who made you. He knows what’s in you because He put it there. The joyful noise principle is simply joyfully offering to God the best you can do in all parts of life, especially in worship.

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