Raise a Hallelujah!

Psalm 150
Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

The other day, two of my granddaughters rode in the Jeep with me. From the back seat, I heard Ella Cate's sweet four-year-old voice. "Grammy Penny, can we listen to music. You know that's what I like to do in the car, is listen to music." I turned on the radio as we drove a short distance to a restaurant. When the song that played ended, she requested a song we both love called "My Lighthouse." We didn't have time to plug that one in, but we'd sung it together before. I promised the next time she's in the Jeep we'd play her favorite. What a joy to know that my grandchildren enjoy music, especially when the songs praise God.

Exposing children to positive, uplifting music gives them another tool to help them navigate this crazy world.

In Psalm 150, the author encourages us to praise God with everything from a tambourine to cymbals. In Hebrew the term "Hallelujah" means praise the Lord. When life goes great—praise the Lord, when life stinks—praise the Lord. Sing hallelujah to the author of life, the Savior of souls, the One who gives grace. No matter what life throws at us, we can find comfort in the music that praises God. Maybe a psalm, traditional hymn, or contemporary chorus. God has gifted some with the ability to write, sing and perform music. He's gifted all believers to take those songs and lift them to him as offerings of praise.

Let's raise a hallelujah to the King of Kings!