Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise him in the heights above.
Praise him, All his angels;
Praise him all his heavenly hosts…

For at his command they were created,
And he established them forever and ever –
A decree that will never pass away.

Praise the LORD from the earth…

For his name alone is exalted;
His splendour is above the earth and heavens.

The Psalms end in a flourish of praise and worship. The last five Psalms have as their first word Hallelujah ! Prayer doesn’t always start with praise and worship, but it should generally find its way there.

Hallelujah is the only Hebrew word I know. “Jah” is short for “Yahweh” and “Hallelu” simply means “praise.” Praise Yahweh! Praise God! It isn’t exactly a praise to God—it’s a call for everything in all of creation to express its gratitude and adoration.

Psalm 148 tells all of creation to Hallelujah and then gives two reasons why this is the right thing for the created order to do. The first reason to Hallelujah is God’s creative brilliance, including our own inclusion in that creative genius. The second reason is His worthiness. There’s just no one and nothing that compares to the person of the Living God.

What a great place for our praying to begin this day! Two things to ponder as you enter prayer are (1) your place in the cosmos; and (2) the person of the God we know in Jesus. These things alone will put your prayers in perspective and give you the confidence to bring God-sized prayers.

He has raised up for his people a horn,
The praise of all his faithful servants,
Of Israel, the people close to his heart.

There’s a third thing to ponder as you pray this day. God says you’re close to his heart. That helps me.

Hallelujah!

Praying with you this day.

Andrew

These Wednesday prayer emails were launched as a tool to help us pray together at a time when we were physically separated from each other. While the call to prayer is still before us as much as ever, these weekly emails have served their purpose and this is the last installment. Thank you for rising into praying together during a pandemic, and all praise to God for his kindness throughout.