Blowin' in the Wind: "Hallelujahs" by Chris Rice

(Blowin’ in the Wind is a regular feature on my blog consisting of an assortment of nature writings – hymns, songs, prayers, scriptures, poems or other things – pieces I may not have written but that inspire me. I trust they will do the same for you.)

Hallelujahs has been around for awhile, yet it never ceases to stop me in my tracks and turn my praise upward. I am not sure when Chris Rice wrote it, but it was first released on his album Deep Enough to Dream in early 1997. I first became acquainted with it when a good friend of my daughter Kate, Natalie, sang it so beautifully as a prelude for Kate's wedding. Since then, another of our daughters, Sarah, has recorded it and given it to Gail and me as a gift; Sarah also sang it at my mother's funeral last year. To say the least, it has become special to us for personal reasons.

...God looked over all he had made,

and he saw that it was very good!

(Genesis 1:31, NLT)

But the lyrics have a simple poignancy that I think most lovers of creation will appreciate. It reminds me of one of the very earliest verses in the Bible, Genesis 1:31, "Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day." If you would like to listen to the song while considering the lyrics below, hit this link and it will take you to a nicely done slideshow on YouTube.

          Hallelujahs, by Chris Rice

          A purple sky to close the day...
          I wade the surf where dolphins play.
          The taste of salt, the dance of waves,
          And my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

          A lightning flash, my pounding heart,
          A breaching whale, a shooting star
          Give testimony that You are.
          And my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

          Oh, praise him, all His mighty works.
          There is no language where you can't be heard.
          Your song goes out to all the earth:
          "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!"

          Oh, cratered moon and sparrow's wings,
          Oh, thunder's boom and Saturn's rings,
          Unveil our Father as you sing;
          And my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

          Oh, praise him, all His mighty works.
          There is no language where you can't be heard.
          Your song goes out to all the earth:
          "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!"

          The pulse of life within my wrist,
          A fallen snow, a rising mist...
          There is no higher praise than this.
          And my soul wells up.
          Oh, my soul wells up.
          Yes, my soul wells up with hallelujahs.

          Oh, praise him, all His mighty works.
          There is no language where you can't be heard.
          Your song goes out to all the earth:
          "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
          Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!"

~~RGM, March 21, 2013

P.S. Next up next week? Quote of the Month...