Hallelujah Anyway!

Yesterday morning in our family worship, we were continuing our lesson for the week about being joyful as we go about our daily tasks.

It's an attitude that we try and teach the children ALL the time.  It especially gained a catchphrase when Robert was preaching in the Church some time ago, on the passage that we read this morning for family worship.

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;"

James 1:2

When we come across trials and difficulties, we are still to be joyful.  It doesn't mean that we are happy ABOUT the circumstances, rather that we are joyful IN the circumstances.  We are to praise the Lord at all times, no matter what happens to us.

Hence, the phrase "Hallelujah anyway".

When things get tough, we need to praise the Lord anyway!  We praise Him because He is always good, and there is always something to still praise Him for.  An attitude of praise is always better than an attitude of misery.

So, in our home, and in others now as well, when things are not going well, we shout "Hallelujah anyway"!!  The louder we tend to say it, is usually in direct association with how much of a trial it is! *grin*  Better yet, it's not empty words, or with insincerity.  We truly do find ourselves in an attitude of praise and thanks, when before we would perhaps have been frustrated, sad or cross.

When our spare tyre got stolen whilst we were in Legoland?  "Hallellujah anyway!"

In fact, there's an even better example, and it only happened this week.

I went with the oldest 3 children, and Simeon, to London on Monday.  I had been on the open-topped bus in June, and thought they would really love to go on it as well.  I had parked our car in a car park a little further from the train station than I had planned.  The bonus was it was only £3 for the day, whereas other car parks would have been £7 or £8! Bargain, and a happy, Scottish, tight frugal mother.  So, off we toddled to London, baby on back!  We had a lovely, if not tiring day. We met up with an online, American, friend, and her family.  We saw the sights.  We enjoyed eating out, and seeing Chinatown at night. Fun day had by one and all.

Glad to have got the fast train home (30 minutes from London to Milton Keynes), we headed back to the car.   

Joshua said, "Mum, should the back lights be on?" 

"erm, no......"

I got in, put the keys in the ingition, turned them, and......just a choking, stammering grumble which quickly disappeared to nothing.  The battery was dead.  It was 9.20pm, and we were sitting in a dark car park, virtually alone, and it was cold.  AND, we don't have membership with a recovery service.  

Daniel started to get hysterical   (Despite being the butchest child, he is still quite sensitive at heart.)  But, I quickly told him we DID have a recovery service, and we would phone Daddy!! I felt rather terrible, considering he then had to get the 3 younger ones out of bed, and come and jump start our car.  But, whilst Daniel was upset, and I was sitting in a car going nowhere, I shouted "Hallelujah anyway"!!!!  They all smiled, and realised that things were not all that bad.  We could be thankful that we had a second car for Robert to come and collect us at all.  That he was such a sweet, and lovely man to do it without question, complaint or hesitation.  That we live in a day and age of mobile phones, so we could phone for help from in the car, and not traipse around finding a phone box. (Of which the children noticed many in London, and I didn't notice them at all!!!)  We were thankful that we had a day out that we had enjoyed, even if it ended differently than planned.  There is ALWAYS something to praise the Lord for, even when we are in difficulty.

Do you have days when things don't go the way you had hoped - when you are tempted to feel low and downcast?  

Then, shout "Hallelujah anyway!"

Do you have moments when your patience is running thin and the children are wearing you down?

Shout "Hallelujah anyway!"

Do you have physical pain and emotional struggles?

Shout "Hallelujah anyway!"

There are endless situations where you will now find yourself looking upward, with an attitude of praise, and shouting "Hallelujah anyway!"

Robert also mentioned a dear, sweet Christian man whose name was Ivan Pambakian.  He ran a ministry to the people of Armenia.  Robert had been bringing some donations of clothing from the people in our Church, to send to Armenia.  Ivan was singing a song as he worked.

"Praise Him, you know that you should,

Everything's working together for good,

Praise Him, you can never afford.

to ever stop praising the Lord."

What a great little chorus!  You can never afford to stop praising God.  He deserves our praise.  His way is perfect.

You think of Paul and Silas in jail - they sang at midnight!! They were praising God in prison, and they were wondrously released! 

You think of Job.  He blessed the Lord in His trials - even after so much being taken away from Him.

"I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

Psalm 34:1

We are to praise Him CONTINUOUSLY.  That includes the difficult times, as well as the times when our heart is full of joy and gladness. 

When the next trial comes your way - when things don't go the way you hoped or planned - try it.

Say, "Hallelujah anyway"!