What does Hallelujah even mean?

During the service at church we hear it a lot-HALLELUJAH! Have you ever wondered what it means? Wondered why we say it? I did so I started doing some research. 

Here is the definition from Dictionary.com

hal·le·lu·jah

  [hal-uh-loo-yuh]  

interjection

1.

Praise ye the Lord!

noun

2.

an exclamation of “hallelujah!”

3.

a shout of joy, praise, or gratitude.

4.

a musical composition wholly or principally based upon the word “hallelujah.”

Also, hal·le·lu·iah.

Origin: 
1525–35;  < Hebrew halălūyāh  praise ye Yahweh; cf. alleluia

Here is the best part. This breaks down the word into its meaning.

from Hebrew hallelūyāh  praise the Lord, from hellēl  to praise + yāh  the Lord, Yahweh 

Hellel means to praise. Yah means the Lord. So every time you say, sing, or shout HALLELUJAH, you are declaring PRAISE THE LORD! I just LOVE that! 

What makes praising the Lord even better is the effect it has on us. I had borrowed a book from a dear friend called Praise Ave. How the Power of Praise Can Revolutionize You Life written by Don Gossett. This book changed my entire way of thinking and living. It revolutionized my life just like the title states. After reading it and returning it, I purchased it on Amazon. I had to have a copy to reread. 

I love Psalms 100:1-5 because it holds one of the keys to obtaining what we are needing/seeking from God (e.i. health, finances, strength, wisdom, etc.) in verse 4: 

From the New King James Version

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Praise Him! Thank Him! He loves it when we do this! And He responds:

3But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered].

Psalms 22:3 AMP

(It says here Israel-Gods people. We, as believers, are drafted in making us His people as well.) 

God dwells in the praises of His people. I don't know about you but that makes me really excited! If I offer up my praise to God, without reservation or fear, just my heart full of love and praise and thanks, God will show up. Right there! I can be in the car, my room, the store, church, even at the park where my kids are going nuts on the play equipment.

So how do we worship and praise Him? 

30And you shall love the Lord your God out of (and with) your whole heart and out of (and with) all your soul (your life) and out of (and with) all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of (and with) all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment.

 Mark 12:30 AMP

23A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. 24God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). John 4:23-24 AMP

When we come before God, we need to first purify our hearts by confessing all our sin. We are human, we all do it. Maybe not purposely but we do. So check your heart for any offense you may have caused another person or any offense you may have taken and repent of it, along with anything else that comes to mind. Now that our hearts are clean, we can approach Him. 

If we are singing a song and thinking of what we are going to make for dinner later that day, it is safe to say that we are not worshiping in spirit or truth. Simply just singing. We need to have our minds so focused on Him -His goodness, strength, love, His heart, His face- that when we sing, each word actually has meaning. There it is. The words of the song need to mean something to you. If the song had meaning yesterday but not so much today, pick a different song. Just sing from your heart (in truth) and keep your mind on Him.

In the Psalms we see that we can add a number of things to our time of praise and worship as well which makes it super fun. 

1"PRAISE THE Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in the heavens of His power! 2Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to the abundance of His greatness! 3Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! 4Praise Him with tambourine and [single or group] dance; praise Him with stringed and wind instruments or flutes! 5Praise Him with resounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! 6Let everything that has breath and every breath of life praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)" Psalms 150 AMP

Did you see it at the end of that passage? Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! 

Praise can change our lives! I had come to a spot where I was about to be in a load of trouble. Even though I knew I could trust the Lord, I was still a bit worried. BUT, I praised Him. With my whole heart I sang to Him of His goodness and of my love for Him. My heart felt lighter and lighter each day as I continued to praise Him. After about a week or so, I got a call and found out that everything had been worked out. The way it was worked out sounded completely mind boggling. Only the Lord could have pulled it off the way He did. I praised Him all the more for a very long time after this.

HALLELUJAH! Its all you really need to say, sing or shout. Although He does love to hear more. 

Are you sick? HALLELUJAH! Are burdened with fear or worry? HALLELUJAH! Do you need a financial breakthrough? HALLELUJAH! Are you just plain mad/angry? HALLELUJAH! 

God is so good!

This was longer then I intended, but then I am just a messenger for Him. I guess He had more to say then I. 

I pray this blesses and encourages you beyond measure!