After the Miracle

Today's Devotional Thought
March 24, 2010 by Wendy Foreman

Broken Hallelujah

What do we do when we don�t feel like worshipping? I think Mandisa gives us some advice on what to do when you don�t feel like worshipping, when you feel broken. Listen and think about the lyrics�.

I am sure that when you were listening to the song you could think of a time when all that you could offer was a broken hallelujah or maybe you�re there right now. When I read over the lyrics I was struck by several things. First, when we are faced with moments of feeling like our life is in ruins, we must never forget where the Lord has brought us from and that He has been faithful in the past and will continue to be faithful no matter what our circumstances. Secondly, this song gives us reminder that from the ruins, we can sing a song of adoration and we can still worship Him, even if our worship is shattered praise. The last thing that struck me was in the 2nd verse where she is mentioning how God has been good and how he has shown his wisdom and grace to her and how undeserved she feels for the blessings that the Lord has given her. And then she sings �so in this painful place hear my heart.???

I was fortunate enough to hear Mandisa at a Women of Faith conference this past September and I was so deeply moved when I heard parts of her testimony. This song was written, I believe, out of those moments in her life when all she could offer was shattered praise and a broken hallelujah. When she sang it, it was like I could feel the hurt and despair that she felt. Yet, at the same time, she knew that God was still good and that He would see her through it, and He did. And, she is living proof of God�s goodness, mercy and grace.

Do you truly worship God when your life is in a state of ruins? That�s a hard question to answer. If you were honest with yourself I would bet many of you would say, �not like I should.??? It is so difficult when we find ourselves in a shattered state to really look to the Father in worship. I believe this is for a couple different reasons. First, I think it may be because we are angry for what it is we are going through, so worship is the last thing on our mind. The second thought is that we feel like maybe we are not in a good frame of mind to worship and feel we need to get things in order before we can worship. The thing that is so great about God is that he understands our hurts; he made our emotions and our feelings. If we are sincere in our heart, we can come before him with praise and worship no matter if it is a broken hallelujah or shattered praise or with tears streaming down our faces with no words He understands. I find such comfort in that today.

A final part of this song to highlight is the lyric, �And You�ve always been faithful to me.??? This particular lyric reminds me how important it is in our walk with the Lord to always look back and remember God�s faithfulness in our previous times that were so difficult. We need to remember the wisdom He provided in the past, the blessings He poured out, and the way that He always brought us through. Even in the midst of those tough times, looking back and remembering all the good should make you want to shout out and worship Him, even in the midst of your dark time now. You will get through!

We will have many broken hallelujah days during our journey with the Lord. I have found that the key is to worship Him no matter what you are facing and if all you can offer is shattered praise, then ladies offer it up.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
~Psalm 34:18