Hallelujah!!

Hallelujah!!

Pastor John Jackson

Praise Christian Church

9/12/2021

Rev 19:4-5

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”

Let me hear you say Hallelujah!

All too often, we as Christians fall into the rut of prayer. We fall to our knees or bow our heads and plead for mercy, healing, prosperity and salvation of others. It seems to me every Sunday we get together, we gather a list of requests and concerns, and we bring them to the feet of the Lord (as we should). We ask our Lord for help in these areas, and then proceed to our message and then a time of fellowship. Same Ole Same Ole!

What are we missing?

A pastor was in the middle of his sermon when he noticed a man had fallen asleep with his head on his wife’s shoulder.

“Wake up your husband,” the Pastor snapped.

The wife smiled and replied, “You put him to sleep. You wake him up.”

We are in tough times. Last week opened my eyes to a whole new meaning of being a Pastor. I had the privilege of speaking at my first Memorial Service as a Pastor. I spoke to the family and friends of a young lady that had passed at the young age of 41. Shirley was daughter of our Friends Daniel and Lois Gulledge. She was loved by all who were in attendance. Estimated gathering was about 80-90 people.

I was uncertain about what I was going to say when Daniel had asked first me to speak. However, as I worked on preparation, I thought about Greatness of God in everything. I really felt compelled to speak not of the life of Shirley Hogan; Because I knew of her, but I really did not know her. One thing I did know is that she was a Christian according to her father. So, I prepared a message of the Greatness of God and the salvation He offers everyone who will accept Him. I ended with an invitation to honor Shirley and provide a way for those in attendance to see her again in heaven.

Later in the week, Becky and I had the privilege of attending a prayer vigil at Putnam Community Hospital hosted by 91.3 Hope FM. With Rev Ricky Bybee, Rachael Rinehart and Robin Robinson.

While it might sound funny to describe attending a vigil as a privilege, I want to tell you it was more than that, it was a blessing! Hallelujah!

To listen to the prayers of these individuals presented with Thanksgiving, and Praise for the work they KNOW God is going to perform. It is moving. You can feel the presence of God as they offered intercessions. Why? Because they Praise God even in times of great need in their prayers. Prayers were offered not only for those that were ailing or their loved ones who are hurting or in fear of facing loss, but for the front-line employees. The people providing care. For their strength. For their stamina, to be able to have clear minds to provide the best care possible despite being tired, despite feeling hurt by some battles they have lost. Thank You Jesus for hearing these prayers. Their prayers encapsulated all that fight this battle from the janitors cleaning the mess, to the dietician’s providing sustenance. See they put the whole problem and every aspect and detail both large and small into Gods hands KNOWING God will answer because they Praise Him.

……….With a grim outlook just a mere hour prior to these prayers, one of our members Lynn Bradleys’ sisters prognoses began to change! Hallelujah!! Ventilator requirements began dropping from 100% oxygen to 70%, dialysis began showing good results. Amen! Hallelujah!! Last checked yesterday results continue to improve with oxygen requirements down to 55%. Hallelujah!

……...Back to the Memorial, though no one had come forward on that day; God’s invitation was made through His word. I know God’s word never comes back empty, so I continue to pray and thank the Lord and praise His name for providing the opportunity to share His word. The crowd was too large to have not reached at least one. Heaven shall rejoice! Hallelujah!

Despite our concerns, no matter the magnitude of our needs, we must never omit the praise from our prayers.

Hallelujah is the highest form of exhortation or praise. It is a proclamation of confidence to the one who sits on high but can see down low. And we shout it because we recognize that even though it may appear that our burdens are overbearing - we shout victoriously because we understand that God is Awesome, God is Mighty, God is wonderful, and he can do anything but fail. Hallelujah!