Alleluia!
Hallelujah!
הללו יה
Praise Yah! (weh)
Praise ye the Lord!

In the early Christian church, the word was not translated. It was known and loved as a word of exhortation to simply “PRAISE.”

Without qualifiers. Without reasons. Without expectations to get anything in return. Just PRAISE.

The more I ponder this, the deeper I fall into a spirit of thanksgiving and praise. There is no “reason” needed to praise God. There is no justification when I don’t want to. And even when the floods threaten to swamp me, there is no way I can stop praising… for it is in my praising that I find hope, and peace, and promise… and rest.

Recently I was introduced to this song… and it expressed what many of us dream of doing… living out our lives and reflecting the praise and worship of the Divine.

I’ll hear it at a funeral soon, which will be wonderful and bittersweet. Especially these words:

When I come to my journey’s end,
May those left behind be reminded,
This has been my cry, my song, my prayer:
Lord, make my life an alleluia.

And even then… when I am grieving, I will still say “Alleluia!”

–oOo–

Make my life an alleluia,
A song of praise to You each day.
To proclaim Your grace and glory,
Fill my heart with your praise, I pray.
When I stand at the mountaintop,
Or the valley of despair,
This will be my cry, my song, my prayer:
Lord, make my life an alleluia.

Make my life an alleluia,
A gift of love to you, my King.
I will join with all creation
In the song that the heavens sing!
The earth will turn, and the planets spin,
As the seasons ebb and flow;
Still, Your grace surrounds me as I go,
Lord, make my life an alleluia.

Make my life an alleluia,
This off’ring of myself I give
I will share Your grace and mercy
For as long as I shall live.
When I come to my journey’s end,
May those left behind be reminded,
This has been my cry, my song, my prayer:
Lord, make my life an alleluia.

Ruth Elaine Schram