Readings for today: Psalms 146-150
Hallelujah. Literally, “God be praised.” A transliteration of the original Hebrew. “Hallel” meaning a joyful song of praise to the Lord and “Yah” a shortened form of Yahweh. It is a word that cannot be translated. It transcends every language group across the earth. No matter where you go - and I’ve been a lot of different places - all Christians everywhere know this word. Hallelujah appears thirty times in the Bible and almost all of the instances are in the Psalms. In our reading today, each of the Psalms begins and ends with the word, “Hallelujah” as the Psalmist directs God’s people to praise the Lord.
Hallelujah is not just a song we sing. It is a state of the heart. Our hearts should continually be singing hallelujah to the Lord. Every day when we wake up, we should sing hallelujah for another day. Every night when we go to sleep we should sing hallelujah for the things the Lord did in and through us that particular day. Read through the Psalms again. Pay attention to all the things the Psalmist praises God for. His nature and character. His actions throughout human history. His particular care of the poor and powerless. One gets the sense that the list is endless. One could easily spend an entire lifetime or more finding things to sing hallelujah for to the Lord.
When was the last time you sat down and spent some time reflecting on the nature and character of God? Revealed in creation. Revealed in redemption. Promised in the future consummation of all things. When was the last time you spent time pondering the amazing grace of God and his boundless mercy? Think of how much He cares for the widow and orphan, the poor and powerless, and all those who are downtrodden in our world. Think of how much He cares for humanity despite the magnitude of her sin. Think of how much He cares for the world in which we live and move and have our being. When was the last time you wrote down all the things God has done for you over the course of your life? The ways God has been at work? The miracles you have seen? I would encourage you to not only write these things down but also sing hallelujah over them. Praise God for them.
Praise has a way of shifting our heart and perspective. It drives out the darkness and depression and despair. It also is contagious. It lifts up those around us. It draws them into a posture of praise and thanksgiving. It’s why singing hallelujah with God’s people during worship is such a moving experience. It stirs the soul. And God wants us to have this experience. God wants us to know the joy that comes from having a heart full of praise. This is why He meets us in a powerful way when we worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8, Proverbs 25-26