It’s no secret that my favorite word is “Hallelujah.”
I type it on social media a lot… usually in all caps.
It also frequently comes up in conversation.
And, of course, I can be get pretty free with it in a church or mission setting.
I ‘m not quite sure if I’m using it too much, but a pastor friend of mine did start calling me “Hallelujah Jones.”
But, you know, I’m okay with that.
The word “hallelujah” is derived from ancient Hebrew and means “Praise the LORD.” More specifically, it’s Hebrew roots mean to burst forth in shining praise of YHWH, (Yahweh) which is the sacred name of God.
Furthermore, if you put the word “Hallelujah” into an online translator, it is recognizable in almost every one of the world’s languages from Afrikaans to Zulu. There are a few exceptions, but the wonderful thing is that pretty much everybody everywhere gets it.
The glorious thing (literally) is that God is worthy to be praised!
I like the nickname that pastor gave me because I have been praying for years that I would live a life taking delight in the Lord. I have specifically asked that I would live a life of praise to the LORD. So if that’s how I look to someone else, I say, “Hallelujah!”
And that’s why I like Kinship Christian Radio so much. It’s purpose, mission, and reason for existence is to bring shining praise to God 24 hours per day, seven days a week. It is ceaseless praise!
And that’s why I like Share-A-Thon so much.
Once a year, God’s praises and the shining rejoicing of His glory are turned up as high as they can go at Kinship Christian Radio. Fellowship events are planned and carried out, prayer is intensified, songs of praise resound all the more, and testimonies of lives changed to His glory are shared over the air.
And yes, the listeners who support the ministry are encouraged to participate financially –and that’s worthy of an enormous HALLELUJAH because it means we’re all part of the ministry. It means we’re all involved in sharing the praise and glory of the LORD with each other not for our own glory or our own benefit but to lift up, support, encourage, bless, and save the souls of others.
At its very essence, Share-A-Thon is a celebration of a miracle.
The miracle is that Jesus came to bring glory, honor, and praise to God the Father by leading a perfect, sinless life and loving us enough to die for us. And the glory of that miracle was multiplied and magnified and confirmed by His resurrection from the dead!
Jesus lives!
Jesus is LORD!
And because He lives and He is LORD, all who believe are adopted into the family of God. We all share a heritage, a family tree, an inheritance. We end looking like a whole bunch of kinfolk who have this look in our eyes, in our smiles, and in our hearts that make us look a little like Jesus.
And when the world sees that look, that “can’t quite put your finger on it but I know they have something different” family resemblance in us, HALLELUJAH! Brothers and sisters, HALLELUJAH!
Today’s Praise
Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” Revelation 19:6 (NIV)