Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Hallelujah!

The word "Hallelujah" is one of the most common praise words found in hymns, praise choruses, and worship songs. What does it really mean?

Used in Psalm 146, we see that Hallelu - Yah is the hebrew contraction of the hebrew words meaning, "praise" and the Hebrew name for God, "Yah," a shortened form of YAHWEH -- 'Praise the LORD'. Further investigation shows the hebrew word used here for praise is halal. Halal means to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave; to celebrate. So 'Praise the LORD' or 'Hallelu-Yah' is a call to celebrate with your whole being, the LORD - YAHWEH.

It is also good to think about what the name YAHWEH means. In most translations of the bible YAHWEH is translated to LORD - all capital. YAHWEH has several possible meanings, a few of which are "I am that I am,()" "I will be God for you, ()" and "present to act in salvation.()"

The Incarnation of Jesus Christ brings even more meaning to the name YAHWEH. God not only showed himself present by being on Israel’s side and remembering her cause, He actually became physically present. Jesus was present not merely to empathize with us; he came to accomplish our salvation. The name of the Lord Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which means “YAHWEH saves.” And this is exactly what YAHWEH, the Lord God, did for us through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus intentionally identifies himself with YAHWEH, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I Am!" (). The significance of Jesus using the phrase "I Am" would not have been lost on his Jewish listeners.

'HalleluYah!' not only causes us to look back at all God has done - it also encourages us to look forward to the return of Jesus (). The apostle John reveals to us that this word will be used in heaven. He writes, "After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God….’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’"

Every time we sing "Hallelujah!" we can be reminded of all God has already done and that He will finish the salvation that He has started. God has demonstrated his saving presence in the past, and He will demonstrate it again when Jesus returns in glory.

Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalm 68:4 (KJV) Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

May each of us sing Hallelu-Yah to the living God with renewed understanding and joy!

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Nov 28, 2005
Celebrate the King

... "I will celebrate before the LORD."

Celebrate the King
Karen Holland

I will celebrate before my king                       2 Sam 6:21
I will celebrate my heart will sing

The song of Jesus, let it rise
burst forth from deep within                          Psalm 16:11; Psalm 98:4

All my heart, All my soul, All my mind        Mark 12:30
with all my might
The song of Jesus, let it rise
All within me sings                                         Psalm 103:1

Chorus
Hal le lu Yah -- Hal le lu                                Psalm 146:1; Rev 19:6

All honor, All glory, All praise                       Rev 5:12

Worthy is the Lamb                                         Rev 5:12

Hal le lu Yah -- Hal le lu                                Psalm 146:1; Rev 19:6

He is victorious, He reigns!                            Rev 19:6

Celebrate, Celebrate the King

Scripture Reference:

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Nov 23, 2005
I Will Celebrate

21     ... "I will celebrate before the LORD."

Take a look at this passage -- at how David worships the Lord.

5     David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

14     David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, ...

David celebrated with all his might before the Lord with song and dance. This display of emotion, this willingness to leap for joy before the Lord - this willingness to openly celebrate, without regard to outward appearances - this is how David worshipped the Lord. Notice that this type of worship has its critics.

20     When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

Where is your heart this thanksgiving? Will you celebrate before the LORD with all your might?

Lord help each of us come before You and celebrate during this thanksgiving season and always ...
    with all our hearts ...
    with all our souls ...
    with all our minds ...
    with all our might!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
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Nov 21, 2005
O Lord, You're Beautiful

8      Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
9      Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
10     Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
11     Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

When do you seek the Lord's face? Like the above verses suggest one might seek His face for strength. Or when one wants to be in His presence or to feel His love or comfort. I often use singing to do this.

Until recently I really didn't even think about using this to seek guidance or direction. The following added a new dimension to seeking His face, for me.

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul received a call from the Lord. Notice it was during worship and fasting that the Holy Spirit spoke. Look at how seeking the Lord's face, worship, fasting and prayer are linked!

Lord help us always to seek Your face. Let us seek not only Your strength, love and comfort but also Your guidance and direction, Your will. Let each heart sing Your praises and glory in Your holy name.
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Nov 15, 2005
Brokeness Is…

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

What is brokeness? To get a better idea of what this might be, think about the opposite - what is unbrokeness? What does it mean to be unbroken?

An untamed horse comes to mind. An untamed horse can not be ridden; it is unbending, wants its own way and won't accept direction. An untamed horse is not very useful. A broken, submissive horse - on the other hand - is very useful.

Isn't this what the Lord is really looking for? A humble, submissive heart, broken - willing to give up it's own way, it's own agenda's?

Isaiah 66:2 ... This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Brokenness is…

The realization of who I am compared to God.
A true humility and submissive heart to God.
A heart's cry of desperation to a loving God.
Waiting on God's time, not mine.
Laying down my crowns and dreams for God's.
Giving up the need to always be right.
Not wanting my will, but God's.
Letting go of my control to God.
Giving up the need to be self-sufficient.
A heart of obedience and thankfulness towards God.
A realization of my self-righteous compared to God's.
A knowing that I'm lost without God.

Take a moment and ask the Lord to show you areas of your life that remain unbroken. Are you willing to humble yourself and surrender these areas so that He may do His work in your heart?

Philippians 1:3-6 Lord, help each surrender whole heartedly to Your will. Thank You for the work You have already started in each heart, please bring this work to completion.
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Nov 10, 2005
Come Unto Me

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

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This thought brings me great comfort when I'm weary, weary to the bone.

When I'm weary and long for His rest -- it just means I need Jesus in my life. People who feel self sufficient feel no need for the rest of Jesus, and so are not listening for His voice.

Notice who Jesus calls - He is calling those who need Him, who need His refreshing, His strength to follow His plan for their lives.

In Jesus Christ the kingdom of God has come. He is calling 'Come Unto Me'. He is eagerly waiting for a response. Do you hear His call? Will you accept His invitation?

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 62:1-2 My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

Psalm 23:2-3 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.

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Lord, help us always to rely on You, to hear and accept Your call. Remind each heart that true rest is found in You alone.

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Nov 9, 2005
As Surely as the Rising Sun

"Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.

"Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

Is darkness closing in on you? Is the darkness of night deepening, growing more black?

Take heart, don't despair, the sun is sure to rise in the morning. Remember it's darkest right before dawn.

This is no ordinary sun that will rise. It is the Sun -- the Sun of Righteousness, whose far reaching rays contain holiness. This Son that rises brings justice and mercy; He will rise and reign with power.

Do you revere His name? Do you acknowledge the living God and walk in His ways? Are you pressing on to acknowledge Him?

For those who acknowledge Him as Lord the night will be short. For as surely as the sun rises, He will come. The sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. Joy - an eternal joy comes in the morning.

Lord help each heart, press on to revere and acknowledge Your name. For the Lord Jesus Christ will come and shine forth as surely as the rising sun.

Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

... because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death ..
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Nov 8, 2005
Everchanging?

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

but grow (more & more) in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

The song of the humpback whale is one of the strangest and most unique in nature. Their songs are everchanging. New patterns are added and old ones eliminated so that over a period of time the whale actually sings a whole new song. More: http://www.rbc.org/odb/odb-07-18-04.shtml

Our walk with Christ should be like this. We should be ever growing in grace and knowledge of our saviour. God’s will is always changing us. He is always transforming us and molding us to be something different than we are - so we can become more Christ like. Change, however, is never comfortable and growth almost always involves change or transition. But if we embrace the Lord's transforming hand in our lives, let Him add new patterns and eliminate the old, we'll find that like the whale we'll be singing a beautiful new song. Our lives will be a song that reflects Christ more and more and brings glory to the Lord. A song that is everchanging, ever new, ever fresh.

Lord help each of us continue to grow in both the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remind us, especially when this growth or change is painful, that a transformation is occuring, that You are transforming us into Christ's likeness. Help each heart be open to Your transforming hand. In the name of the Lord Jeus Christ.

O LORD , you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

Psalm 66:5   Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!

Revelation 22:17   The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

John 1 

³⁹"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
      So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.

 ⁴⁰Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 
 

Read more,    'Come and See'
https://www.angelfire.com/jazz/karen_trust/PrayerLog/Oct2005.html#ComeSee

Lord, help each of us open our hearts to 'Come and See', 'Come and Receive' and to 'Come and Trust' in Jesus.

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Know Christ Personally
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Nov 2, 2005
Living Stones
From:     http://www.truevinemusic.com/living_stones.htm

4     As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—
5     you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6     For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."
7    Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,"
8     and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
9     But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10     Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Peter depicts the church as a building, and each believer as a living stone in that construction. The foundation or cornerstone is Jesus Christ. This is an apt picture of life in the church. All that we have and are as believers must be built on the love of God in Christ Jesus. Whether we are focusing on the church as a congregation or us as individuals, the only building that will last is what is built upon Christ.

The picture of the church as a building of living stones also says something about our relationship with each other. Each stone is precious. Each stone is needed, with a unique part to play, supporting and being supported by each other as we build on Christ.

Lord, thank You that in Christ, we are living stones built on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Build us up as the people of God.

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38 "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"
40 "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

This exchange is found in Luke's account of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. What does this mean?

The Pharisees feared all the attention Jesus was receiving. Jesus was someone who was willing to stick his neck out for those looked down upon, for the powerless, for the oppressed, and for all kinds of sinners and those thought to be sinners. His ideas upset the apple cart. And so did his actions. Both the religious leaders like the Pharisees and the political establishment feared his influence. They wanted a way to silence both Jesus and his followers.

What if we keep silent when we should speak up? What if we keep silent about Jesus being our saviour? Or think compromise with principles is the best - to keep 'everyone' happy?

Don't we lose our 'saltiness'? Won't we just blend in with the rest of the world? If we blend in won't we lose our ability to be effective witnesses for Christ?

When Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he is both announcing our specialness, and warning us not to lose it! Both salt and light are things which have an effect way beyond their size.

Each member of the Body of Christ is the same. We may look insignificant and small by ourselves, but when, in faith, we keep the word of God as something to live by, and obey the promptings of the Spirit, then simple words and small actions can have effects way beyond what we imagine.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Father, help us follow the lead of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us each let our lights shine brightly, that many may come to know Your Son Jesus as Lord and give all glory and honor and praise to the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.