Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
(Psalm 150:1 NIV)
The Hebrew word translated “praise” here is halal (הָלַל), pronounced hah-LAHL. You may recognize it because it’s where we get “hallelujah” which literally means “Praise Yah (Yahweh)!”
There are several Hebrew words for “praise”, but halal is the one that means to rave, to celebrate wildly, even to the point of looking a little foolish. This isn’t quiet appreciation or a polite golf clap for God. It’s the unashamed kind of praise that doesn’t care who’s watching.
Think about the last time something really good happened. Maybe you got the job you’d been hoping for, or the doctor’s report came back better than expected. What did you do? You probably didn’t sit quietly with your hands folded. You might have shouted for joy, called someone immediately, or even done a little dance in your kitchen. That’s halal.
What’s interesting about Psalm 150 is that it doesn’t give a specific reason to praise. It doesn’t say, “Praise God because your life is easy,” or “Praise God when everything works out.” It just says praise Him. Period. That tells us that halal isn’t based on our circumstances, but on who God is. He is worthy of praise because He is God.
I’ll be honest. There are some days when praise is difficult. When the car won’t start, when the family isn’t getting along, or when I’m just not feeling well, celebrating is the last thing I feel like doing. But that’s exactly when halal matters most. Because praise isn’t pretending everything is fine. It’s declaring that God is still God, even when everything else is uncertain.
When we halal, when we intentionally choose to celebrate God, we’re saying to our fears, our doubts, and our circumstances, “You don’t get the final word.” We’re aligning ourselves with the truth of who God is rather than the chaos of what we’re facing.
That doesn’t mean faking it. God isn’t interested in fake enthusiasm, but He invites us to step into praise as an act of faith. Sometimes you have to start praising before you feel it, and somewhere along the way, your heart catches up.
So what does halal look like? Maybe it’s stepping outside, seeing a sunrise, and saying out loud, “Thank you, Lord.” Maybe it’s telling a friend how God answered a prayer. Maybe it’s turning up worship music in your car and singing without worrying about who sees you at the stoplight.
When we praise God with that kind of abandon, it doesn’t just change us; it influences the people around us. It reminds them that there’s something worth celebrating, someone worth trusting, even in a world that often feels uncertain.
So, don’t hold back. Let your praise be an honest, wholehearted, unashamed celebration of who God is. Let it even be a little wild. Because that’s what halal is all about. Hallelujah!
Prayer: Lord, you are worthy of more praise than I have given you. Teach me to praise you unashamedly with great joy. As long as I have breath, let my life be filled with halal. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day