12/08/2026
🎶 CHOIR FESTIVAL 2026 — DAY 3🎶
Theme: OH! LIFT UP YOUR VOICE / UNMEASURED PRAISE
📖 Psalm 34:1
Spoken Word: By Mrs. Maurine Okoye
Today, Day 3 of our 6th Annual Choir Festival, Mrs. Maurine Okoye gave us more than a spoken word; she gave us a powerful reminder of why we must “Oh! Lift Up Your Voice.”
Her message was simple but profound; Praise God at all times and without conditions.
There are moments when life gives us reasons to celebrate, but there are also moments when we have questions, tears, disappointments and unanswered prayers. Yet, true praise is not determined by our circumstances. We praise God not only when He answers our prayers, but also while we are waiting for the answers.
One of the strongest lessons from the message is that our praise must be louder than our problems, our fears, our doubts and even our yesterday.
Mrs. Okoye reminded us that people may see our smiles without knowing our tears. They may see us standing without knowing how many times we have fallen. They may hear us sing without knowing the cries that God has heard in secret.
And if we are still standing, still breathing and still able to lift our voices, we already have a reason to praise God.
But the message went deeper.
As choristers and worshippers, we are not merely singers or performers. Our voices are instruments, our harmonies are offerings, and our songs are sacrifices. We are not singing for applause; we are pointing hearts towards God.
Perhaps the most challenging part of the message is that our worship must not end when the music stops.
When our voices become tired, our lives should continue the song.
When the instruments are silenced, our character should still worship God.
When we leave the church, our lives should become a prayer.
That means praise is not only what comes out of our mouths during the festival. Praise is also how we live, how we respond to challenges, how we treat others and how we trust God when we do not understand His ways.
The message calls us to a “praise without limit, praise without condition, praise without end.”
So today, let us turn our problems into praise.
Let us turn our challenges into praise.
Let us turn our waiting into praise.
Let us turn our tears into praise.
And above all, let us remember that remains God whether the door is open or closed, whether the answer has come or we are still waiting.
We may not know what tomorrow holds, but He does.
Therefore, Oh! Lift up your voice!
Not just with your mouth.
Lift it with your heart.
Lift it with your life.
Let your praise be louder than your problems. Let your worship continue long after the music stops.
Day 3 lesson: Praise God; not because everything is perfect, but because He is God and He is worthy.
Hallelujah!
