Have you ever been to a concert where you were able to sing one of your favorite songs with thousands of people you didn’t know?
I can remember the first time I saw Coldplay and 17,000 people sang “Fix You” at the top of their lungs. It was so different singing in that arena with a sell-out crowd than it was driving down the highway in my Honda Civic.
That same feeling taps into a core desire in the heart of every person. We want to be a part of something that is bigger than us, that outlasts us, that truly matters in the grand scheme of things.
Brooke Ligertwood tapped into that feeling when she wrote her song, "A Thousand Hallelujahs." She spoke to The Christian Post not long after the song came out and shared the origin story of the song.
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“My husband and I went down to our friend, Phil Wickham, who lives just about an hour down the road from us. And we were writing in the church that Phil goes to, which is like this old little church hall in Southern California."
“We were sitting in the church hall with the keyboards and the guitars, and there’s just this beautiful, empty hall, and kind of started talking about all the generations of people who had worshiped in this church. We were just so inspired by the generational nature of the Church of Jesus. And we started talking about the thousands of hallelujahs that had been sung in that room.”
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Have you ever sat down in your church and considered the other people who have sat in that same seat? What have people experienced while they stood and sang songs to God?
Did they sing “How Great is Our God” the Sunday after their spouse filed for divorce? Did they sing “Mighty to Save” in the midst of a job loss or foreclosure of their home? Did they cry through “Firm Foundation” as they went through chemo treatments? Did they raise their hands during “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)” on their first Sunday after being released from prison?
"(A Thousand Hallelujahs" taps into those reflections and then uses them as fuel to give God the glory, honor, and praise He so richly deserves.
“With a thousand hallelujahs
We magnify Your name
You alone deserve the glory
The honor and the praise”
While Ligertwood’s song is new, there are hymn-like elements and it feels like a song which could last longer than the short cycle so many songs endure these days before being forgotten. Perhaps it was the space the song was conceived within and the awareness of that history which drove Ligertwood to infuse this song with more timeless elements.
In that same interview with The Christian Post, Ligertwood remarked on the power of hymns.
“Hymns are so powerful and have endured for so long, obviously, because the theology and poetry are compellingly put forth, but also because, back in the days where the hymns were circulating, it wasn’t recordings that people were listening to learn the songs; people were getting, literally just the melody written down, the sheet music and the words. Songs had to be robust enough and strong enough to stand on their own with just the melody and the words.”
If you’ve ever sat at the bedside of a loved one who was facing a difficult health situation, perhaps even facing death, you’ve likely felt the compulsion to sing. In those moments, it’s remarkable which song lyrics come to mind. Often, they’re older songs or hymns, which through repetition were burned into our memory banks. Singing those lyrics allows us to release the tears we’ve been holding in and to lean on God for strength when ours has simply run out. Those moments remind us why we’re praising God - He truly is enough when we are not.
We don’t spend a lot of time thinking about eternity. For some of us, we spend even less time thinking of those who have done what we did, but long before we came along.
The next time you listen to or sing "A Thousand Hallelujahs," what if you considered those who worshiped God before you drew your first breath? What if you considered the opportunity you’ll have to worship God in eternity?
The Apostle John beautifully describes what that moment will look like in his vision, recorded in Revelation 7.
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.”
This scene reminds me that a thousand hallelujahs is our feeble attempt to respond to the majesty and power of God, across eternity and in our lives with awe and wonder.
Singing a song like "A Thousand Hallelujahs" may seem like an imperfect response, but it does remind us that we are joining billions of people across thousands of years who’ve offered their imperfect praise to a perfect and holy God.
As the writer of Hebrews declares, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.” Amen!
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer, and yes he does have the best last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the proud parents of three children. He loves helping hurting people forgive others through his Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
