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Offering a hallelujah isn’t always easy, especially when bad news comes on top of bad news and hopes we’ve built are crushed once again.

I remember the final day when I lost the love of my life. The days that followed included crying, praying, begging, and more crying for God to help me understand and quit hurting.

I also remember a night when I sat down after a long day at the hospital with little to no good news, and I heard a song with the word hallelujah. The song talked of wanting to see God, to be with Him. I’d never listened to the words this way before.

But how, Lord? How can I praise You and sing hallelujah when my world is falling apart? I thought.  

Perhaps we remember the first time that warm, tingly feeling flooded our bodies during worship time with Jesus. On a Sunday morning as we listened to “Amazing Grace.” We felt a closeness that only could have been Jesus. Maybe it was when something happened and God answered our prayer. Shouting “hallelujah” was easy.

But what about the times when bad things happened, prayers were unanswered, dreams were shattered, and our lives were never the same again? We struggle to feel God’s presence. How do we find the hallelujah in those times? It’s easier to cry, scream, and beg than pray and shout hallelujah.

But God hears us in those times as well. He knows us and wants us to lean on Him and call on His name. So yes, we can offer a hallelujah even in sad and terrifying times.

If you’re in a hard season, praise God. Call on Him to come alongside you. He will meet you there and carry you. Offer a hallelujah. Praise Him even when it hurts to breathe. 

(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)