Hum…

1. To give forth an indistinct sound of mingled voices or noises

2. An inarticulate sound uttered in contemplation


I have to say; this is a tough word to work with. Most of the definitions contained the word ‘hum’ in them. I contemplated skipping over this word, but I knew my conscience would bother me. So, here goes.

My daughter loves to hum. She is constantly humming some made up song. We can hear her coming and going, all through the house. It drives her brother nuts. It is sweet to me, like a bird, or Snow White, living in my home. I especially like the fact that she does not hum songs she has heard. Rather, she makes them up as she goes, to fit her mood and her surroundings.

I do not hum. Sometimes I sing. Sometimes I get annoying lyrics stuck in my head that I cannot get out and I have to make some noise to get them out. However, I do have something like a hum going on in my head most of the time. Now wait, I do not mean like a crazy, buzzing noise. The hum I have is from a constant barrage of sights and sounds and thoughts occurring together.

I meet with a precious group of teenage girls every week. They are girls who have had their share of problems in their young lives, and still deal with these problems on a daily basis. The weight of most of these girls’ worlds is heavy and most of them have to carry it themselves. I can say I hear a distinct hum from God while I am around these girls. The hum impresses on me how much He loves them. How much His heart aches for them. How He wants to love them through me. I operate on that hum when I am with them.

Friday is the Jewish holiday of Purim. Here is how one website describes the holiday; On Purim, Jews today remember how Esther saved the Jews of Persia from annihilation, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther. In general, Purim celebrates Jewish survival. Despite the plans of others to persecute and even annihilate Jews in the past, the Jewish People has survived for approximately 4,000 years.

Well, the evil villain in the book of Esther is named Haman. He was the one out to destroy the Jews. Whenever the name Haman is said during the telling of the story, the Jewish people will shake noisemakers. Another custom is to write the name Haman on the soles of their shoes and stomp their feet until the name is erased. The custom of making a noise (booing or hissing) when Haman’s name is mentioned is very ancient and widespread.

Well, the holiday is a festive and celebratory one. I would definitely say that the Jewish people hum during the holiday of Purim. Perhaps it does not sound like humming the way we would think of it, but it fits my definition above. It is certainly an indistinct sound of mingled voices or noises. It rises up to God in thanksgiving of deliverance by His hand. It rises up to curse the evil one and praise the God on high.

Do we hum? Do we stop and think about God’s deliverances in our lives? Maybe ours are not as memorable as being saved from the hands of genocide, but I think we could all think of one. At the very least, every time we wake up He has delivered us from death throughout the night. Do we take that for granted? I know I often do. I move on to start my hectic day and forget that I was given that day. I need to take time out to hum more. I need to make sounds of thanksgiving to the Lord for every little think He delivers me from and blesses me with.

"What a beautiful thing, God, to give thanks, to sing an anthem to you, the High God! To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night." Psalm 92.1-2

Do you hum?