“Praise the Lord.” Psalm
150:1
The word Hallelujah
is used as a way to praise the Lord, but did you know that the word is
literally a transliteration of two Hebrew words; hallal, which means “praise” and yah which means “the Lord”.
So when you say, “Praise the Lord”, you are speaking the English
equivalent to the Hebrew words Hallal Yah. At times we see it written as “Alleluia”,
which is the Greek-influenced version of the word and tends to be an expression of praise rather than an urging to praise.
There is no indication in scripture as to who authored this
Psalm. It is considered a general hymn
of praise for the people of Israel. The
Psalm goes on to extol some of the virtues of the Lord.
There
are many ways to praise God. You can
praise Him verbally or with your life.
How you treat others, whether close to you or complete strangers, can lift
up the name of the Lord. Praising God
with your life can say so much more to unbelievers than any words you could ever
say. Not following your words with
loving actions sprinkled with God’s grace can potentially do more harm than good. It is far better to remain silent and be Christ to others than to blather on
about our beliefs. Let them see God in
everything we say and do. That’s what
will speak loudly to a sin sick and dying world.
We should also make it a practice to praise the name of the
Lord in all situations. Whether times
are good or bad, God remains the same.
He is the one true constant in a sea of inconsistency. We should praise Him because He is worthy of
our praise. Even if He did nothing for
us, He would be worthy of praise by His very nature. But He has done everything we could ever need. So don’t reserve your praise for just when you are in church. Praise Him
at all times. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
