Hallelujah, Anyhow
Sometimes I feel the need to praise God, even when I don’t feel like it.
Have you ever felt like going to church would be hypocritical because you just weren’t feeling it? Ever been so sad, depressed, or weighed down that music just felt like noise?
I’ve been there, too! And yet, there has always come a moment for me when I know it’s time to praise God anyhow.
Sometimes the next “Hallelujah” costs a lot.
We’re not the first followers of Jesus to face this dilemma. In the Book of Acts, chapter 16, early Christians named Paul and Silas have gotten unjustly entangled in the Roman legal system, been brutally beaten in body, and then imprisoned so securely that their ankles were shackled to the walls of jail. If ever there was a time to not feel like worshipping God and thanking Jesus for his goodness, it was a night like that. And yet… Paul and Silas started singing songs of praise in the middle of the night. Hallelujah, anyhow. Their willingness to push through their pain and frustration was part of God’s plan to deliver further spiritual breakthroughs.
That’s been my experience as well. A willingness to push through temporary pain mysteriously permits the Spirit of God to cause surprising transformation.
Maybe you’re not feeling the goodness of God right now. Maybe the words of the hymns and praise songs are getting stuck in your throat. That’s OK. I encourage you to ask God to bring you a moment, sooner rather than later, when the time will be right to push through the pain and offer up a “Hallelujah” anyhow.
There have been a number of songs that have helped me do that through the years. I’ve linked to four of them below, along with some of the pertinent lyrics. Maybe one of these songs could help you find your voice-of-praise if you’ve temporarily lost it.
– Pastor Gregg
I don′t always feel it, but that's when I need it the most
So, I′ll keep on singing 'lil my soul catches up with my song
There's times when my hands go up freely and times that it costs
There′s days when a praise comes out easy, days when it takes all the strength I got
I′ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, been-through-hell “Hallelujah”
And I'll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail, story-to-tell “Hallelujah”
God, You've been patient – God, You′ve been gracious
Faithful, whatever I'm feeling or facing
So I′ll bring my hard-fought, heartfelt, it-is-well “Hallelujah”
Blessed Be the Name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name, when the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be' – Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering – Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
You give and take away – You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, ”Lord, blessed be Your name”
Yeah, I hear a hymn of triumph in thе wilderness of my lament
In thе lowlands or the mountain tops, I won’t forget
All that goodness that You have shown me
The promises that You have kept
There’s better days on the horizon up ahead
Even if my daylight never dawns
Even if my breakthrough never comes
Even if I’ll fight to bring You praise
Even if my dreams fall to the ground
Even if I’m lost, I know I’m found
Even if my heart will somehow say: Hallelujah anyway
Sing your praise to the Lord
Come on everybody, stand up and sing one more hallelujah
Sing your praise to the Lord
I could never tell you just how much good that it's gonna do you just to sing, Anew
The song your heart learned to sing when He first gave His life to you
Well life goes on and so must the song
You gotta sing again the song born in your soul when you first gave your heart to Him