Levi, our seven-year-old son, can often be heard running round the house shouting and singing “Hallelujah!”
I would sometimes question his sincerity in praising the Lord in that moment, but it is always because he is happy and thankful and generally, he is recognising that good things come from his Father God. It is a joyful sound and lifts all our spirits.
“Hallelujah!” (derived from two Hebrew words meaning “Praise the Lord”) appears four times in Revelation 19v.1-6 but nowhere else in the New Testament.
Although they do not use the word “Hallelujah”, we see the angels who appeared to the shepherds praising God
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests’ Luke 2v14
They speak of joy and peace and dispel fear in the somewhat shocked shepherds as they speak of the birth of Jesus.
An expression of joy, a heart of thankfulness and praising of the Lord can change an atmosphere and bring unity and peace and dispel fear.
In the summer, our eight-year-old daughter, Amelia, was jumping from the top of a boat into the sea. Every time Amelia jumped, she joyfully screamed “Hallelujah!” Many of the adults were very apprehensive about this jump but were encouraged to participate by the joy and freedom expressed by this young girl. By the end of the trip, around 30 people were jumping in the sea shouting “Hallelujah!”
What is the language of our hearts?
It is more than our natural optimistic and pessimistic characters.
It is something deeper – something spiritual. We were created for hallelujahs.
A couple of years ago, I was in a car that spun around on a wet Scottish road and then it broke through a fence into a field. I remember feeling acute fear and a desire to protect my children. Afterwards, it was interesting to reflect that in the moment some adults in the car swore and others spoke in tongues. In times of crisis, are we exposing something of our hearts?
Let us ensure thankfulness rules our hearts.
This is not necessarily something we need to muster up or force.
Although a bit of routine, self-discipline and encouraging and challenging one another has its place, as we walk closely with Jesus and allow Holy Spirit to prompt us, our hearts can be transformed into joyful hearts that continually thank and praise the Lord despite our often far from perfect circumstances and the complications of relationships and ups and downs of daily life.
Hallelujahs are the language of heaven and they can become the language of our hearts too.
Come let us adore Him with praising and thankful hearts as we await celebrating His birth.
Jen Waterfield is married to Mark has 3 amazing children – Grace, Amelia & Levi
