Song Feature: Raise a Hallelujah

I’m so excited to share this song on the blog today!! It’s been a few months since I did a song feature and this one is just so special to me.

This song taught me how to worship.

I don’t mean that it taught me how to sing. Rather, I mean that it taught me how to worship Him in the middle of the hard, in the midst of the pain, and before I see the breakthrough I’m praying for.

In November of 2018, I did a super-hard-for-me thing.

For the first time, I co-led a song from the stage. Even though I’d sung on this stage almost weekly for the last 15 years, this was different.

It was scary and I was beyond terrified.

I couldn’t hide behind the instruments. I couldn’t hide behind the harmony.

We sang a song I’d been proclaiming for months, daily prophesying its lyrics over my life. I didn’t even know how much I needed this song (and I wouldn’t know for many more months to come.)

Little did I know, the Father was preparing me for even more to come. His kindness and provision brought me to many other opportunities over the last year to lead His people in worship.

It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, but never thought I’d be able to do.

The word Hallelujah has so many layers and I’m excited to peel back a few of them for you today.

hallelujah

/ˌhaləˈlo͞oyə/ “Praise the lord”

Being such a popular word in “Christiandome,” it might seem strange to learn that the word “hallelujah” can not be found in the Old Testament.

I know…gasp!

The word Hallelujah is actually a Hebrew word and an adapted compound Greek word in the New Testament (alleluia.) It was made from the phrases, “Praise ye the Lord” and “Praise Yahweh” (hallel + jah [God].) The word can be found 24 times in the Old Testament (translated as “Praise the Lord”) and 4 times in the New Testament in Revelation 19.

The “Hallelujah Psalms” include Psalm 106, 111-113, 135, and 146-150. They were later coined the “Hallelujah Psalms” because of their frequent reference to praise. All of these psalms begin and/or end with the phrase, “Praise the Lord.”

In John’s recorded vision of heaven in the book of Revelation, we see that the heavenly hosts and believers are singing out their hallelujahs to God at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

It gives me chills to read this chapter and to know that a day is coming when Jesus will sit down to have dinner with His bride, the church, and the only response we’ll have in the presence of God is to shout hallelujah at His feet.

John records that the sound was so deafening that the only way he could describe it was to compare it to the powerful roar of water and thunder.

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.
Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”— or the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 19:6-10

How beautiful is it that we will get to join all of heaven in praising our Father?

The good news is that we don’t have to wait. We get to echo the hallelujah of heaven here on earth.

We don’t just praise Him when life is going well or when we’ve made it through the trial we endured.

We lift up our hallelujah in the middle of the storm, knowing He’s there with us.

When is the last time you praised Him through the tears, through the pain, in the middle of the trial?

He’s so worthy of our praise, no matter where we find ourselves in the “trial cycle.”

Be sure to watch the video of the Helsers explaining the miraculous story behind this iconic song at the end of this post!

If you’ve never heard it, I hope this song transforms the way you worship, just as it did for me.

Psalm 146

A poetic psalm, by Haggai and Zechariah
1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
My innermost being will praise you, Lord!
2 I will spend my life praising you and
singing high praises to you, my God, every day of my life!
3–4 We can never look to men for help;
no matter who they are, they can’t save us,
for even our great leaders fail and fall.
They too are just mortals who will one day die.
At death the spirits of all depart and their bodies return to dust.
In the day of their death all their projects and plans are over.
5 But those who hope in the Lord will be happy and pleased!
Our help comes from the God of Jacob!
6 You keep all your promises.
You are the Creator of heaven’s glory,
earth’s grandeur, and ocean’s greatness.
7 The oppressed get justice with you.
The hungry are satisfied with you.
Prisoners find their freedom with you.
8 You open the eyes of the blind
and you fully restore those bent over with shame.
You love those who love and honor you.
9 You watch over strangers and immigrants
and support the fatherless and widows.
But you subvert the plans of the ungodly.
10 Lord, you will reign forever!
Zion’s God will rule throughout time and eternity!
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Raise a Hallelujah

by: Jonathan and Melissa Helser // Bethel Music

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

I raise a hallelujah, with everything inside of me
I raise a hallelujah, I will watch the darkness flee
I raise a hallelujah, in the middle of the mystery
I raise a hallelujah, fear you lost your hold on me!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder (In the presence of my enemies)
Sing a little louder (Louder than the unbelief)
Sing a little louder (My weapon is a melody)
Sing a little louder (Heaven comes to fight for me)
Sing a little louder!

I'm gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you're gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!