My daughter’s tulips have been growing in a big pot on our back deck. I was so excited when they started blooming this year! I brought a little tulip inside to enjoy!
I’m sure the little tulip would probably have preferred to remain outside in its pot. And yet, here it is … on my coffee table in the living room … bringing me great joy!
Even though the little tulip is in a place it would probably not prefer, it is still raising its little “hallelujah” petals to heaven in praise to its Maker!
Darkness is falling. The little tulip is now sitting on my kitchen counter … bringing me joy.
And even as nighttime comes, it is still raising its little “hallelujah” petals to heaven in praise to its Maker!
Morning dawns! Sunshine streams in through my kitchen window! And the little tulip is still raising its little “hallelujah” petals to heaven in praise to its Maker!
I wonder if this is how Joseph felt when his jealous brothers sold him into slavery, and he wound up as a slave in Egypt. He was in a place he would rather not be. And yet in spite of it all, he chose to “raise a hallelujah” to God!
And … God used Joseph in a great way!
I wonder if Samuel felt this way. His mother, Hannah, had prayed fervently for years asking God to give her a baby. She even made a vow that if God would give her a baby, she would give her baby back to God. God answered Hannah’s prayer! God gave Hannah a baby boy – Samuel.
And true to her vow, Hannah gave Samuel back to God. When Samuel was old enough, Hannah took Samuel to God’s house and gave him to the care of Eli, the priest … so that Samuel could serve the Lord.
Samuel didn’t have a say in the matter. Samuel didn’t have a choice.
Samuel didn’t have the opportunity of growing up in a loving home with loving parents. Instead, he grew up in the care of Eli, the priest … and in the shadow of Eli’s two wicked sons who did much evil (even in God’s house).
I wonder if Samuel ever wished he was someplace else? And yet … even in spite of it all, Samuel chose to “raise a hallelujah” to God!
And … God used Samuel in a great way!
Daniel was carried off to slavery in a far distant country when he was just a teenager. He lost his home. He lost his family. He lost his country. He lost everything.
He was mistreated. He was forced to go through training and education he probably did not prefer. He was forced to learn things he probably preferred not to know about. He was forced to serve people he probably preferred not to serve.
And yet … in spite of it all, Daniel chose to “raise a hallelujah” to God!
And … God used Daniel in a great way!
No matter where we are, we too can choose to “raise a hallelujah” to God!
Just like the little tulip (which probably preferred to remain outside, but found itself indoors on my living room coffee table) … so too life will sometimes land us in places and situations we would prefer not to be in.
And at the same time … even though the little tulip was in a situation it probably preferred not to be in – it brought me great joy!
In the same way, we too might find ourselves in a place or situation we would prefer not to be in – but, as we “raise our hallelujah” to God right where we are, unbeknownst to us we might be bringing hope and joy to someone else. And because of our “hallelujah” … they might be raising their own “hallelujah” to God too!
Raise a Hallelujah!
No matter what!
