I'll be honest - I'm not naturally someone who shouts. I tend toward quieter expressions of, well, everything. But Psalm 66:1 doesn't give me that option: "Shout for joy to God, all the earth!"
Not whisper. Not politely acknowledge. Shout.
There's something about that word that challenges my reserved British sensibilities. Shouting feels excessive, doesn't it? A bit much. But the psalmist isn't interested in restrained worship. He's calling for exuberant, uninhibited, full-throated praise.
And notice who's invited to this celebration: all the earth. Not just the naturally expressive people. Not just those having a good day. Not just the extroverts or the musically talented. Everyone, everywhere. The whole earth is called to lift its voice in joyful praise to God.
I think sometimes I mistake the posture of my worship for the substance of it. I assume that because I'm not raising my hands or singing loudly, I'm somehow worshipping less authentically. But other times, I wonder if I've become so comfortable with quiet reverence that I've lost touch with holy exuberance. There's a place for both, surely.
The call to "shout for joy" isn't about volume, really. It's about overflow. It's what happens when gratitude and awe become too big to contain. When you recognise who God is, what He's done, how faithful He's been - sometimes the only appropriate response is celebration that can't be kept quiet.
I love that this verse appears in a meadow of wildflowers in the print we've created. Those flowers don't apologise for their brightness or hold back their blooms. They simply exist as they were created to exist - colourful, abundant, unrestrained. That's the kind of worship we're invited into. Not performance or pretence, but genuine overflow of who God has made us to be.
Maybe you're naturally exuberant in your worship, and this verse feels like permission to be fully yourself. Or maybe, like me, you're learning that there's room for joy that's louder than you're used to. Either way, the invitation stands: Shout for joy. All the earth. That means you too.