Stop Saying “Praise the Lord!”

Stop saying "Praise the Lord!"

“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Inigo Montoya

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes from the movie The Princess Bride. In this scene, the Inigo Montoya confronts Vizzini, his boss, about repeatedly uttering “Inconceivable!” every time he notices something surprising happening right in front of them (or behind them, as the case may be). Vizzini, Inigo concludes, is clearly confused concerning the meaning of the word “inconceivable.”

His observation is simple, yet profound. For with it, he shines a spotlight on one of humanity’s most annoying tendencies: the habitual repetition of a common word or phrase by someone who lacks a clear understanding of its meaning.

As children, we initially learned how to speak by mimicking sounds and words and phrases. Unless we make a conscious choice to stop, think, and choose our own words, we may accidentally adopt a favorite phrase without giving any thought to what it means. Take for example this exclamation: “Praise the Lord!” Although you will find it throughout the Old Testament (most frequently in the Psalms), it is often misused in Christian circles today.

In this post, I’m going to make the case that “Praise the Lord!” does not mean what we think it means. And I’m going to challenge you to think twice before saying it in the hope that you will replace it with something else. Got that? Ok, let’s unpack it.

“Praise the Lord!” is a literal translation of the Hebrew word hallelujah which is the first word in a number of the Psalms. It is formed by combining the verb “hallal” (to boast or praise) with “yah” (a shortened version of the name of the LORD). 

But our modern use of the phrases “Praise the Lord!” and “Hallelujah!” makes no sense, because hallelujah is a verb in the imperative mood. In other words, hallelujah is a command. 

In the same way we might tell a child “Clean your room!” the Psalmist commands us to “Praise the Lord!” A more precise translation of hallelujah is “Praise ye the Lord!” 

In other words, when you say “Praise the Lord,” you’re actually issuing a command: “You, praise the Lord!” (Or, as my friends in the South would say, “Y’all, praise the Lord!”)

A command to praise is typically followed by a recounting of His deeds (Psalm 135); a recognition of His majesty (Psalm 148); a recitation of His virtues (Psalm 145); or further instructions about how, when, and where to praise Him (Psalm 150). Think about this with me for a minute.

To praise the Lord is to honor and recognize Him for who He is, what He has done, and to trust His promises. Praise is neither complicated nor simplistic, but it does require engagement of the mind. I need to pause and ponder: “What attribute of the Lord’s am I wanting to praise? What has He done that compels me to praise Him? How is God making Himself known to me in this moment?” It is only after I’ve identified the reason(s) why I want to praise Him that I can truly offer a sacrifice of praise.

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”
Hebrews 13:15 ESV

We praise the Lord when we ascribe His attributes back to Him. His character. His name. In fact, this is only this type of praise we can genuinely offer in midst of life’s harshest trials and tribulations.
We offer the sacrifice of praise with the sentences we speak; the words we write; the thoughts we think; the songs we sing; the dances we perform; the art we create; and so on—NOT through the mindless repetition of an idiom that seems like the right thing to say in the moment.

The fact is, praise itself is like an empty box, and the only way to give praise is to fill the box with actual praises, otherwise it remains empty. Cliché. Vain. Devoid of meaning.

For example, when your son, Micah, aces his math test, you don’t praise him by saying, “Praise Micah!” That doesn’t mean anything. Instead, you speak truth to him about who he is and what he did.

Similarly, when your daughter, Leah, is hired as the summer camp intern, you don’t praise her by saying, “Praise Leah!” That would be weird. Instead, you speak truth to her about who she is and what she accomplished.
In the same manner, when God shows Himself faithful, you don’t praise Him by saying, “Praise the Lord,” which doesn’t mean anything. Instead, you speak truth to Him about who He is and what He did. You could say something like, “Lord, you are amazing! You promised you would take care of us, and you did! You are awesome. Your ways are not my ways. You are sovereign. I honor you for who you are!”

THAT, my friend, is what it means to PRAISE the Lord.

I hereby challenge us to remove the empty cliché, “Praise the Lord,” from our vocabulary and replace it with authentic praise from our hearts. This might take a while and require re-training ourselves, but it is a worthy goal.
Imagine a scenario where a friend shares good news with you.

For example, “My son just got his driver’s license on the first try!” You could respond out of habit, “Praise the Lord!” But what does that mean? “Yay!”? If so, you’ve used the Lord’s name a in mindless manner. If not, you’ve commanded your friend to “praise the Lord.” Either way, you’ve tipped your proverbial hat towards Heaven with no personal investment, no acknowledgement of who the Lord is or what He has done deserving of praise.

Is that what you thought you were doing? Or were you attempting to praise God for something? If so, what? Say that!

Imagine how transforming this practice will be in our daily lives and our relationships. Instead of saying the word “praise,” we actually give praise to God. And in the giving, we glorify the Lord by expressing His goodness, His faithfulness, and His sovereignty. We testify to His greatness, and in so doing, edify each other in Christ—which bears witness to those who are seeking the truth about God.

Printable: 12 Alternatives to saying "Praise the Lord"

To help us get started with this new practice, I’ve created a free printable for you with “12 Alternatives to ‘Praise the Lord!”

👈 👉

Click to download a PDF of the POSTER(S) that accompany this devotional. 

12 Alternatives to "Praise the Lord!"

This devotional was originally published as part of a yearlong series of devotionals called “Rooted at the Throne.” Every month spearheaded by author and speaker Rachael Carman and featured on her blog. 

Insights: A Prophecy of Pentecost?

Insights from the Word

As often happens when studying various passages of Scripture simultaneously, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to new insights and correlations. It’s no wonder we say that the Word is alive!

I’m currently leading a weekly in-depth, verse-by-verse study of the book of Acts at my church, and for my own personal study and reflection, I am reading through the book of Isaiah. I love the juxtaposition of studying both Old and New Testament books at the same time. It’s like ham and eggs—different, but complementary! This morning, however, I ate an omelet!

Lemme ‘splain! No, there is too much… Lemme sum up:

A couple of days ago, I taught on the arrival of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-13. We observed that there were three external signs given to Jesus’ disciples as sensory evidence of the internal arrival and infilling of the Holy Spirit: Sound. Sight. Words.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:1-4

Insights from the Word

This morning I read Isaiah 32 which contains prophetic words concerning the “Kingdom of Righteousness” as well as a warning to the “women of Jerusalem.” Isaiah 32:1 says, “See, a king will reign in righteousness, and rulers will rule with justice.” This could be interpreted as a Messianic prophecy.

Then the eyes of them who see will no longer be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
The fearful heart will know and understand,
and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.
Isaiah 32:3-4

I realize this is plucking a verse out of context; therefore, I am not going to force this to mean something it doesn’t. But there is no denying a strong correlation between the two passages: Sight. Sound. Words. And something happening internally—an increase of knowledge and understanding.

Was this a prophecy fulfilled at Pentecost? Possibly. One could postulate that the “king reigning in righteousness” is Jesus and that the “rulers ruling with justice” are the Twelve apostles sitting on thrones at the renewal of all things (cf. Matthew 19:28). Or, it’s just as possible that this prophecy has nothing to do with Pentecost.

Either way, though, these verses in Isaiah describe what happens when we receive and are filled with the Holy Spirit: We see things more clearly. We hear the Lord. We know and understand Him and His Word. And we are given words to speak the truth clearly to those who the Lord brings our way.

Amen, and amen.

‘Twas the Night before Star Wars (Poem)

'Twas the Night before Star Wars
Many thanks to Michael McMaster and the international droid builders club for making this poem come alive in 2020!

‘Twas the Night before Star Wars

An adaptation of the “‘Twas the Night before Christmas” poem – by Laura Zielke written in 2015 on the night before the official release of The Force Awakens. 

‘Twas the night before Star Wars
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even my spouse.
The props were laid out on the table with care
In hopes theater workers won’t care what we wear.

The padawan was nestled all snug in his bed,
While visions of light sabers flashed in his head.
And I in my blue jeans, sweatshirt, and cap
Had just settled down to check Fandango’s app.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away to the kitchen I flew like a flash,
Grabbed the Glad Bag and sneakily took out the trash.

The moon on the grass after new-fallen rain
Glistened like mid-day all down the lane.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the Millenium Falcon—I had to cheer!

With a slightly old pilot, and Wookie in tow,
I knew right away it was Han Solo.
More rapid than X-Wings his companions they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Luke! Now, Leia ! Now, C3PO-ah!
Come, Chewie! Come, Lando! Come, R2DayTow-ah!
Move away from the porch! And away from the wall!
Now hide away! Hide away! Hide away all!”

So, into the driveway the rebels they ran,
With blasters and sabers, they hid in my van!
The droids were much slower with nowhere to go.
They pretended to be trash cans, so no one would know.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard someone say,
“What happened? Where are we? What day is today?”
I walked back inside, began turning around,
And through the window burst forth a Sith lord with a bound.

He was dressed all in leather, from his head to his foot,
And his face had been painted the colors he put.
A red light saber he lit to impress,
And he looked like a demon, just from his dress.

His eyes–they glowed yellow! His horns they were ugly!
His cheeks were striped boldly; he smiled so smugly!
I then froze in fear—so unsure what to do.
He laughed, and he paced with his saber blades two.

When all of a sudden behind me I hoid (that’s northeastern for “heard”)
The princess, the jedi, the pilot, the droid.
They came to my rescue and fought the Sith lord,
They battled for hours; I never was bored.

They fought in the kitchen; one jumped on a shelf.
And I laughed when I saw it, in spite of myself.
Luke Skywalker in MY kitchen—too good to be true!
Han Solo and Leia and R2D2!

They killed the Sith lord, and then stopped to rest.
Then Yoda appeared saying, “Passed you did the test.”
With a sigh of relief, the Rebels rose to take leave.
They protected my family, I fully believe.

They boarded the Falcon, having done what they came for,
And away they all flew in the midst of a downpour.
But I heard them exclaim, ‘ere they flew out of sight,
“May the force be with y’all, and to y’all a good-night!”

© 2015-2016 Laura Zielke All rights reserved.

#starwars #theforceawakens #rogueone

Think Tank Needed to Strategize a Solution

We need a new solution. Race relations.

A black man with a gun died yesterday in Charlotte because another black man with a gun shot him. This is an emotionally-charged topic for which there is no easy solution, but I cannot remain silent. The more I process these issues, the more I am learning about myself and my core beliefs. Here’s one of them: It’s okay not to be perfect. We all make mistakes and stupid decisions from time to time. Some people make a lot more mistakes than others. Some learn. Some never do.

The question is this: Who or what circumstance determines that one’s mistake is his (or her) last? What gives one human the right to make that determination for another human? And, to quote my late friend Keith Chesterman, “Where do you draw the line?”

I really struggle with this, because I believe God can take the most messed-up life and flip it to something extraordinary. I’ve seen it—for real! I’ve seen drug sellers and addicts transform into law-abiding citizens who are making a positive difference in the world, who love their families, who have completely turned their lives around. In fact, one of them was my Sunday School teacher when I was a teenager. I knew him when he was coming out of the drug scene, and I watched God completely transform his life, his marriage, and the lives of his family. I know it can happen, and I hate to see someone robbed of that opportunity.

I wrote the following blog post last night while I was watching rioting live-streaming from Charlotte on Twitter. (The post has since been updated.)

I had a WONDERFUL group of amazing and hard-working women over to my house tonight (September 20, 2016). Moms with children of all ages who have taken the road less-traveled to home educate at least one of them. I’m so blessed to know them, to learn from them, and to be able to encourage them now that I’m in my eighth year of this journey.

Sadly, while we were busy swapping homeschooling stories, another AFRICAN-AMERICAN CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES was shot and killed by police in #Charlotte. What the heck is going on?! This is ridiculous! We have a JUSTICE SYSTEM for a reason! According to the Charlotte Observer:

Police said they approached the man [Keith Lamont Scott] after he got back into the vehicle. The man got out again armed with a firearm “and posed an imminent deadly threat to the officers, who subsequently fired their weapon striking the subject,” police said in a statement. “The officers immediately requested Medic and began performing CPR.”

Scott was not the person officers were searching for to arrest on the outstanding warrants, CMPD Chief Kerr Putney told reporters at the scene.

This man, now D.E.A.D., was NOT even the man they were looking for! And apparently, there are questions being raised about whether or not he was armed in the first place.

Police said they recovered the firearm Scott was holding when police shot him shortly before 4 p.m. Police were also interviewing witnesses. [HOWEVER,] a woman who said she is Scott’s daughter claimed that the man was unarmed when he was shot. (Charlotte Observer)

While I join the rest of the world waiting for official details and body camera video—and I hope they release it soon—I wonder how I would have felt as a black man being approached by police today: the day after Terence Crutcher was shot and killed in Tulsa with his hands in the air near his broken down vehicle.

News Update September 21, 2016:
Police are confirming that Keith Thomas Scott was in possession of a firearm, and he did not comply with repeated requests to drop the gun.

Here is a link to the brief with Charlotte’s Chief of Police: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/charlotte-police-claim-keith-lamont-scott-had-handgun-prior-to-fatal-shooting-770135619660

Here is a link to the timeline of how events unfolded on social media and in real life:
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/police-chief-clears-up-some-rumors-in-charlotte-police-shooting-770211907505

Blog Update September 21, 2016:
Again. We wait for further details regarding the Keith Lamont Scott story, but my conviction remains: LEOs should not shoot-to-kill.

“We need to create a ‘Think Tank’ to strategize new solutions and a new protocol for the innocent.”

I UNDERSTAND that police have a really tough job, and I SUPPORT and RESPECT law enforcement. I’m GRATEFUL for protection. BUT, I do NOT support the shoot-to-kill response.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND how a suspected TERRORIST who KILLED people —and was trying to kill more—was taken ALIVE while these other men were shot dead for reasons TBD…like, really. I don’t get it. Is it just a difference in officer training? How are some restrained and others seemingly not?

I have almost been shamed into silence by my law enforcement friends. These are men I know in real life whom I love and respect. But when I posted on Facebook about the shooting of Philando Castile, my timeline exploded with debate, and at one point, I was told that rather than speak out against this type of violence—and it is violence—I should keep my uninformed opinion to myself and instead do a ride-along with a police officer just so I could personally experience what they go through on a nightly basis. I guess the idea is that I would be transformed by this experience and conclude that since they have a tough job, I should trust them implicitly. That will never happen, because it’s not who I am. I’m an INTJ Rational, and I don’t categorically endorse anything or anyone. Ever.

Aside: As an INTJ, it’s in my nature to be skeptical of authority figures—especially authority figures who expect to be treated a certain way just because of their position (even though they may have worked very hard to achieve that position). According to 16personalities.com, “Authority figures do not impress INTJs, nor do social conventions or tradition, and no matter how popular something is, if they have a better idea, INTJs will stand against anyone they have to in a bid to have it changed. Either an idea is the most rational or it’s wrong, and INTJs will apply this to their arguments as well as their own behavior, staying calm and detached from these sometimes emotionally charged conflicts.” And, yes, I realize that is as much a weakness as it is a strength.

The fact is: I am not a child. I’m a grown-up 48 year old woman, and a ride-along is not going to change my conviction that police should not be shooting-to-kill suspects. We have a justice system for a reason. Don’t get me wrong: I am grateful for the men and women who have taken an oath to protect us. I really am. I know they face a lot of CRAZY out there in the real world…in the ‘bad’ neighborhoods…but they are not immune to FEAR. Especially in dangerous, or perceived-dangerous, situations. And acting out of FEAR, while life-preserving for one could be life-ending for another.

Is there a solution? There has to be.

I would like to see a think-tank made up of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities work together and strategize a solution to this madness. I’d like to see them/us come up with a protocol for how to handle these unpredictable and quickly-escalated situations—one that yields an arrest (or not) without resulting in the permanent, physical, and irreversible death of the suspect.

OR …

If there is already a protocol in place, then re-educate the public.

“We need to create a ‘Think Tank’ to strategize new solutions and a new protocol for the innocent.”

My question is this: How should I respond when an officer starts out by treating me as a threat and assuming I’m a criminal when I know have done nothing wrong? But I also know that if I don’t comply, I could be injured. But if I do comply without speaking, am I agreeing with the false accusation? Am I allowed to question what is happening without being perceived as defiant? Do I comply with no opportunity to question the situation and/or defend myself? What about my personal integrity and sense of injustice that is rising up in my core? The desire to assert my innocence? What would be an acceptable way for me to present myself in such a way that the officer would give me the benefit of the doubt and lower his or her weapon versus assuming the absolute worst possibly resulting in my death? These are the questions we need to be addressing. 

UPDATE: September 21, 2016
As facts about the Keith Lamont Scott case come to light, each side is seeking evidence to support their views. What happens if we learn that Scott was breaking the law by possessing a gun in the first place? What happens if we learn that he was waving it in the air? What happens if we learn that he was in cahoots with the guy they were looking for? Would any of those facts change my opinion that he should not have been killed? No.

I believe in a system of justice for citizens of the United States that involves arresting suspected criminals and bringing them to court for a hearing followed by a jury trial, if necessary. Taking a man’s life because he refuses to comply with orders is wrong. Shoot to injure. Shoot to maim. Do not shoot to kill for non-compliance, a bad attitude, or even a verbal threat.

I’m wearing all black all day on Friday because the only way we’re ever going to find a solution to this problem is to work together. #weneedasolution

National Blackout

I wish we had eyes to see the way God sees:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7)

Come, Lord Jesus! #Maranatha #BlackLivesMatter *


*Use of the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag does not indicate support of the Black Lives Matter organization.