“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” (Revelation 19:6 ESV)
Hallelujah!
Ya’ll Praise God
This has been my word for this past year. I determined that if this is what we will be shouting in Heaven, I must get comfortable saying it here. Every time I am in worship, I shout Hallelujah as loud as I can. Most of you know I can get loud!
It is a word that evokes hope and joy, thanksgiving, and praise.
Hallelujah! It is two Hebrew words written as one: Hallel (Praise) and Yah, which is a shortened form of YHVH, the personal name of the Lord God of Israel.
The hallel-u (הַלְלוּ) is a command to you plural — that is, “You all, praise.”
We all know that here in the South, you all becomes the much-loved ya’ll; thus, we have the great command of “Ya’ll Praise God.”
To whom our praise belongs – Praise Yah! God who calls Himself the Great I Am when Moses asked for His name.
Psalm 150 says we are to praise Him with dancing as well as with the sound of the trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, strings, pipe, clashing of cymbals, and with our voices:
“Let everything that has breath Hallel-u Yah, Hallel-u Yah — Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord.” (verse 6)
Twenty-four times, the Psalms tell us to Praise Yah.
The Hallelujah chorus of Handel’s Messiah is the most well-known lyrics praising God. It is sung with triumphant, loud HalleluYahs. And there is a great reason for doing so. We hear the chorus so often during the Christmas season, but Handel wrote it as a part of the Lent celebration. We know that Hallelujah belongs in both times of celebrating what Jesus has done for us.
From the Psalms through the Book of Revelation, we are instructed to continually Praise the God we serve.
Four Hallelujahs highlight the Book of Revelation, chapter 19, verses 1, 3, 4, 6:
“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.” (verse 1)
“And again, they shouted: ‘Hallelujah!‘” (verse 3)
“The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: ‘Amen, Hallelujah!‘” (verse 4)
It is also the keynote of the great multitude in Heaven, who shout out, “Like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder:.”
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” (verse 6)
Why are the multitudes shouting these praises? It reminds us as Believers that our God is victorious. Despite our circumstances, He is still on the Throne. God alone has the last word over us, not our earthly leaders or those who may not have our best interests at heart.
Often, as Christians, we find it easy to say Hallelu-Yah! When we receive an answer to prayer or when things are going well. However, praising God is not always conditional on God’s blessing. We must learn to give thanks and praise to Him in everything. As the Book of Job tells us in both the good and the bad. We do not praise because bad has come our way, but rather, we praise knowing that God is going to use all for His glory.
God is greater than our situation. Even when our souls are cast down, we can still look up and remember that the heavens “declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” (Psalm 19:1)
Praise is owed to God when HE TAKES AS WELL AS WHEN HE GIVES, for there is as much love in His taking as in His giving. I initially felt anger toward God when my two children were taken to Heaven on Christmas Day of 1997, but later, I realized that He did it for His glory and for their blessing. Do we understand all that God is doing in our lives or in the world? Of course not, but we understand enough about the nature of God to praise Him despite the difficulties.
You may also destroy your distresses by voicing or singing praises to God. I give you this as one of the shortest and surest prescriptions for comfort – begin to praise the Lord. This is how I persevered through many times of pain, and it is how I continue in my walk. As we praise the Lord, we shake off the cares of the world.
My Prayer:
Thank you, Jesus, for the wonderful blessings of life with You. I know there may be heartbreak and sorrow here sometimes, but You have overcome this world, and I trust that You will always hold me fast. I thank you that I can sing and shout praises to Your holy name.
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen!” (Thomas Ken, 1674)
Praise God, ya’ll!
Rebekah Marsh
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#rebekahmarshblogs
