In a world where each corner holds some potential danger. In a society where just going to work can end in total tragedy. In a community where drugs run rampant and hope is fleeting. It is essential that Christians look past the circumstance and cling to the cross. James encourages us to just count each trial as a learning experience. Count each tribulation as a stepping stone.. Count every troublesome occurance as Joy.... Rejoicing in the midst of our suffering. Praising God in the midst of our pain. Oh somebody ought to be willing to shout this morning "Hallelujah Any How!"
Hallelujah is the highest form of exhortation or praise. It is a proclamation of confidence to the one who sits high but has the ability to 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. So we can each shout - Hallelujah Any How.
There are many things that may occur in life that causes you to be knocked about a bit. There are many situations that make it hard for us to be certain that God is in control. But these seeds of doubts are simply tools that Satan has put into play to cause the children of God to turn away from the master. However, when we just take the time to contemplate on the goodness of Our God. When we allow our minds to matriculate on everything that he has done - everything he is doing - and oh everything he is going to do - Our Souls ought to be crying out in the midst of our trials "Hallelujah Any How!"
Trials and tribulations are a part of life. You might as well prepare yourself to deal with it. Christianity is not a shield from hardships. Being saved is not a get out of trouble free pass. Knowing God will not keep tragedy from knocking on your door. Throughout the word of God we find that we should expect them to come. Mark 13:12 tells us we will be betrayed. Luke 11:49 tells us some will be persecuted and slain. John 15:20 tells us that Jesus himself endured ridicule and we should expect no less. - 2 Corinthians 4: beginning at the 8th verse we are told we endure trials because we are Christians - why you may ask - well trials and tribulations - problems and perplexities - circumstances and situations are our living testimony that God is good all the time and all the time God is good. The command that God has given us is not to praise Him because of but to praise Him in spite of! Hallelujah Any How!
Praise - giving honor and approval. A form of laudation. A joyful tribute rendered to the God that has done it before and will certainly do it again. Praise is rendered by believers because they understand that the word has promised weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning - Hallelujah anyhow. Praise is offered up by those who have a personal relationship and not a part time acquaintance to God. Allowing us to endure difficulties because we know that trouble don’t last always - Hallelujah any how. Praise is given because we in this Christian journey are Standing on the promises of God! Hallelujah Any How! The doxology we sing every Sunday morning is based upon the knowledge that God is deserving of our praise - Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Every blessing that comes our way is a derivative of God’s love. Praise him all creatures here below. - The psalmist David penned Let everything that has breath Praise the Lord. But not only things under the heavens praise him - the song says Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise is a mandate by God for each of us to render honor and glory. We do so with gladness and thanksgiving for His manifold mercies and goodness - so we Praise Him - Son - and Holy Ghost. In other words Hallelujah any how.
When we feel weak and desperate we can praise Him because Exodus 15:2 say the Lord is my strength and my salvation. Hallelujah any how. When troubles arise we have no need to fear and we praise him because we know - no weapons formed against us will prosper - Hallelujah any how. When our situation seems hot - and it appears we have entered into a fiery furnace we can praise God because the same God of Shadrach Meshak and Abednigo will quench the fiery darts thrown our way. Hallelujah any how. So why should we feel discouraged when problems come our way. Why would we be fearful of the shadows or the unknown. Since we have a friend in Jesus - why should our heart feel lonely because we are living a life to acquire our heavenly home. We don’t have to worry about sickness and disease because Jesus is our portion. We don’t have to be concerned about mishaps because a constant friend is he. He knows what we need when we need it because his eye is on the sparrow = so most definitely he is watching over us. So in the midst of our trial we can shout Hallelujah any how.
Psalm 89:8 says we ought to praise Him because he is faithful! Joel 2:26 tells us to praise God and not be ashamed about it. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us because we are chosen to be a part of God’s holy nation we ought to be praising God. Hallelujah any how!
What can praise do you might ask - well you could ask Paul and Silas - locked up in jail just what praise can do. When the were imprisoned - instead of dwelling on the situation they rejoiced because they knew who was their salvation - Hallelujah Any How. Ask David who had been persecuted by his own child - who battled giants - who endured trials and tribulations yet rejoicing - because he knew that the Lord was his shepherd and would supply him with everything that was necessary - Hallelujah any how.
God expects us to praise Him. God tells us to praise him. Scripture after scripture we see the command to magnify glorify and rejoice. And as we praise God he favors us with his multitude of blessings. He didn’t say just praise me after you receive your blessing. He didn’t say only praise me when your money is right. He didn’t say only praise me when your bills are paid. He didn’t say only praise me when things go right for you. He didn’t say only praise me when your health is good. He wants us to praise Him at all times. That is from sun up to sun up. Praising Him for everything. Thanking him for his mercy and his grace. Yes even thanking him for the trials in our lives. Because if when the praises go up the blessings come down, it would seem justifiable to think if while we are going through difficult time we offer up mournful and feeble praise when our blessings come trickling down drip by drip - we ought not be offended or put out. When we are going through hard times and we offer up mundane praise and our blessing appears to be mediocre we ought not feel God has forgotten us. But when you are like Job who lost everything but praised God to the utmost - saying hallelujah any how. When you are like Daniel who faced certain death as he faced a den full of lions - but praised God not because of but in spite of - Hallelujah any how. If we could be like Joshua at the battle of Jericho who endured the jeers of his peers when he presented what appeared to be a half baked form of attack. Marching around a wall of a large city once a day for six days in total silence. Each day someone from within the city probably yelled an insult or laughed at these folk who did nothing but walk. If we could be like Joshua who on the seventh day walked around six times in silence but on the seventh go around shouted Glory to God - praised God for the victory he had promised. He praised God for the conquest he had secured .- He Praised God with conviction because He said it and so he believed it. And the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Hallelujah any how.
So when the road gets tough and the going gets tough and your hills get hard to climb - Just lean on the everlasting arms of God and shout Hallelujah any how. When the doctor says there is no hope - just know you have some one better than a doctor = you have a healer. Hallelujah any how.
When legal issues seem to be overbearing - and it appears all hope is gone. Remember you have the best litigater - Jesus Christ. Hallelujah any how. When it seems that every one is against you and every body has forsaken you. Just remember that God said he would never leave or forsake you. He would never leave you alone. So even when you see the lightning flashing shout Hallelujah any how. Even when you hear the thunder roll shout Hallelujah any how. Even when sin breakers are dashing trying to conquer your soul - Jesus said he would never leave you - never leave me - never leave us alone. Hallelujah any how.
Oh we can shout hallelujah because God so loved the world that he gave us a way up when we didn’t have a way out. Oh we can shout hallelujah because Jesus came that we might have a life of abundance. Oh we can shout hallelujah because on Calvary our savior bore and washed away our sins. Oh we can shout hallelujah because as he gave up the ghost he removed our debt - and it is now paid in full. Oh we can shout hallelujah about him being laid in somebody else’s tomb because that was not going to be the conclusion to the story. Oh we can shout hallelujah because on that third day he assured us that each of us entered into a fixed fight. We can shout hallelujah any how when we are up. Shout hallelujah when we are down - because God is in control. We can shout hallelujah any how because we serve a mighty God. We can shout hallelujah any how because our God can do anything but fail.
When folk talk about you - Hallelujah any how
When best friends ridicule you - Hallelujah any how
When the lights go out - Hallelujah any how
When you are sick - Hallelujah any how
When your heart is broken - hallelujah any how
