Sing the Hallelujah

No matter how far we feel from God, He will find a way to get our attention, to make our hearts sing again...

I was listening to Christmas music on the radio this past December. Hallelujah by Pentatonix came on the radio- my first reaction was “this is a Christmas song?”...

The next time I was in the car, it came on again. So, I listened to the lyrics searching for something that would connect it to Christmas, but that left me perplexed.

Next time I was in the car, it came on again- it was clear that something was drawing me to this song, but what? I went home and looked up the lyrics- trying once again to understand what it all means, and still coming up empty.  

Then later, once again, I turn on the radio and its the same song- this time it’s right at the part where they sing “it’s a cold and its a broken hallelujah”... I teared up. I felt like that one line resonated with my life- I had lost some things I held dear, I had some things break my heart, I had been distant in my relationship with Jesus. The hallelujah I sang with my lips on Sundays at church were just that- cold and broken because the circumstances in my life were overshadowing the joy that was supposed to be in my heart.

I went back and looked at the lyrics for a third time. Now, this may not be “right”, but to me I saw the verses telling stories of circumstances in life- good and bad, rejoicing and heartbreak- and in between every verse is a chorus of hallelujah.

Don’t miss that. The verses about David falling from grace, followed by a chorus of Hallelujah. The verses about losing love and feeling betrayed, followed by a chorus of Hallelujah. No matter the circumstances, they sang Hallelujah. Sometimes it was joyful, sometimes it was lost, or cold and broken. But they sang Hallelujah.  

Do you know what Hallelujah means? It means “Praise the Lord”.

Christmas Eve night, I laid in bed and scrolled through Facebook. On my newsfeed was a link for an autistic girl in Ireland who sang a version of Hallelujah with over 4 million views. I clicked the link, and in a dark room, I closed my eyes and listened. I was soon weeping- not because it’s beautiful (which it is) but because I now knew why I kept hearing this song, why it kept coming on in my car, why this link showed up on Facebook...

Now, the version this beautiful child sang was a different version than the radio one. These lyrics  told the story of the gospel- how Jesus came to earth as a baby and why He did it:

I know You came to rescue me

This baby boy would grow to be

A man and one day die for me and you

My sins would drive the nails in You

That rugged cross was my cross too

Still every breath You drew was Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

The Lord pressed this song on my heart because He knew I needed to be reminded of who He is and what He has done for me. He came to earth for me. He hung on a cross for me. And he gave every breath til His last one, to sing Hallelujah- to praise the Lord. And because of what He did for me, like it says in the song, with every breath I’ll sing hallelujah.

You see, in both versions of the song, the message is clear. No matter the circumstances, the rise, the fall, the heartbreak, and the triumph, in life, and in death, we were created to sing hallelujah. We were created to praise the Lord. Its because of what Jesus did for you and me, that no matter what we face in life, we can sing hallelujah.

So whether you are in a season of pain, or a season of happiness, whether you feel distant from the Lord, or close to His heart- sing the Hallelujah. If it’s cold and broken, sing the Hallelujah- because I believe this with all my heart- the Lord will draw you to him…

Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Sing the Hallelujah.