Psalm 71:14 “As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more”.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
In this world you will have trouble. I have always taken this as a promise, as much as a warning. Throughout the gospels we are told over and over that we will be persecuted and misunderstood because of our faith, just as Jesus was. But we are also commanded to give thanks and praise always. So how do we praise in the midst of the pain? How do I say “thank you” for prayers that remain unanswered. How do I remain “joyful in hope” (Romans 12:12) when my world is crumbling around me? These are important questions for Christians not for “if” trials come, but rather “when”. Until recently, these have been questions that have haunted me. How could I offer up praise if my heart was not feeling joyful or particularly grateful?
In 1984 Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah, which garnered wide success in 2001 after being featured in the movie Shrek. Audiences were moved by the lyrical number, with a multitude of artists creating their own renditions after. The blending of secular and spiritual themes resonated with a broad spectrum of humanity. Several verses tell the stories of David and Samson using modern phrasing, with a chorus line repeating “Hallelujah”. The definition of Hallelujah is literally “to praise” and “the name of God”. But then Cohen adds the line “it’s a cold and it’s a Broken Hallelujah”.
I learned to associate the phrase “Hallelujah” as being a joyful spiritual utterance. So now we come back to the original question. How do I praise, how do I “Hallelujah” amid pain and trials? Whatever the original intention of Cohen’s phrase “Broken Hallelujah” was, never has a term so resonated with me than those two words in my current state. A broken Hallelujah acknowledges faith and understanding that is shaped by trials and hardship. David, while hiding in a cave, still offered up his Hallelujah. Not in joy, but in his place of brokenness. It wasn’t David’s great deeds that made him a “man after Gods own heart” (Acts 13:22), it was David’s “Broken Hallelujah”. His ability to praise the name of God even in the midst of his own pain. While not necessarily a “joyful utterance”, it is instead a peace in the steadfastness of God, and a faith that He already knows the answer and the ending.
So now I am learning to offer up my own “Broken Hallelujah”. God is big enough to sit with me in current state, in my pain and brokenness. I don’t have to fake it or feel guilt that it isn’t a joyful utterance. I can have peace knowing that my broken praise is enough.