What does Hallelujah mean?  Hallelujah means “God be praised” to be uttered in worship or in expression of rejoicing. The Hebrew meaning is  Praise ye Jehovah. Are we uttering endless hallelujahs? 

My prayer is to wake up with these utterances on my lips and when I go to bed. Daily I fail. We face disappointments and hurt and we loose our praise to the one who knows all, the one who considers it joy and dances over us! We forget that God is in control, Always!

I often think of those in the bible who went through awful circumstances, either self inflicted or caused by others. I think of David who even though his actions caused his strife, he chose to repent and seek the Lord and offered up endless Hallelujahs. There was Moses who was mocked and stood in the gaps for those he sometimes couldn’t understand why? Paul and Silas who faced persecutors who lied about them and were then placed in prison. But they uttered up praise and thanksgiving to God! 

Do I have that same faith?

We face pain from others and things from our own sin.

But Joseph tells his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done” (Genesis 50:20). 

Jesus warned His followers, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) 

Job states “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised" (Job 1:21). 

Paul said, “For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). 

Our experiences can involve deep, deep pain. Yet in these times our worship doesn’t stop for pain but rather, it should accept it, be changed by it, and triumph through it. 

Cohen who wrote the song Hallelujah, had at least two different ending versions for his song. One ending included these words: 

And even though it all went wrong  

I’ll stand before the Lord of Song 

 with nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah!

Hallelujah is a call to “Praise the Lord.” I want to stand before my King and know that I praised him in the good and in the bad. 

“Joy is the settled Assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quit confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things.” - Kay Warren