"Hallelujah"

Howdy do and hallelujah,

It’s God’s party come on in,

Hope the coffee suits ya,

Soon the music will begin.

And all we really care about,

Is if the Lord gets praised,

Spirit, truth without a doubt,

And high His anthem raise.

If we get a bit too happy,

To suit your reverent taste,

The Creator’s now our Pappy,

And we don’t have time to waste,

‘Cause He called us from the mess we made,

Gave us joy for all our pain,

Let us know the price He paid,

Let Jesus bear the blame.

So relieved about the healing,

Can keep it quiet no more,

God’s presence we are feeling,

And we’re bound for heaven’s shore.

And this is how we practice,

Rehearsing heaven all the way,

Nothing will distract us,

As we sing and work and pray.

So come join the celebration,

We out-love the devil’s crowd,

Rise with the Jesus nation,

Make it count and make it loud.

“Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; praise Him with strings and flutes! Praise Him with the clash of cymbals; praise Him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! praise the Lord!” (Psalm 150:4-6, NLT)

The last psalm ends with jubilant celebration. How does this sound to you? Praising God with dance, musical instruments and lots of noise! All too often we equate quiet with reverence. But nothing indicates heaven will be that way. In fact the exuberance of enthusiastic adoration is more like it! Yes, some discount such worship as emotionalism. I get it. But shouldn’t we respond emotionally to the greatest news, the greatest gift, and the greatest love the world has ever known? And if we’re breathing we should be praising. Why? Because the Lord asks us for a living sacrifice of praise! And it should come as naturally, unconsciously, and normally as breathing. Let us get on with it.

Lord, teach us to praise You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Steve Boaldin, used by permission. Thanks, Steve, and God bless you.