Praise the Lord!

“Praise the LORD.” The actual phrase in the Hebrew language is one we all know very well. It’s the word, Hallelujah. It’s a compound word made up of Halle, which means “to praise or boast,” lu, which is an article for “the”, and Yah, a contracted form of the personal name of God, which is best translated, “I will be who I will be,” identifying that there are no limitations to Him.

I always thought that to praise God should include some shouting and jumping up and down and a lot of emotion. Well, that can be part of it I suppose, and I’ve done my share of that, but the real meaning of the term, “Praise the LORD” expresses first and foremost our heart condition rather than our lung condition or our physical fitness. It implies being sincerely and deeply thankful as we express God’s incredible great acts.

When the Psalmists use this phrase, they are really issuing to the hearers a summons to join in exalting God by telling specifically of the great things He has done.

Methodist minister and author, Louis Albert Banks, tells the story of an elderly Christian man, a fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, “Are you sure I will never sing again?” The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question so he simply shook his head to indicate, “No, you won’t.”

The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. “I’ve had many good times singing the praises of God,” he said. “and now you tell me I can never sing again. So unless He heals me, I have one song that will be my last. It will be gratitude and praise to God.” So there in the doctor’s presence the man sang softly the words of an Isaac Watts’ hymn, “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath,”

“I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath, And when my voice is lost in death; Praise shall employ my nobler power, My days of praise shall ne’er be past. While life, and thought, and being last. Our immortality endures.”

As we begin a New Year, perhaps your circumstances are problematic or marginal, or maybe you’re doing just great. In either case, why not praise God today by giving Him thanks, by singing and shouting joyfully of His greatness, and by blessing, magnifying and exalting His holy name?

Just start with the words, “Hallelujah” or “Praise the Lord.” The rest will come easy. – Maranatha!