Following up her standout worship anthems with the iconic praise band Hillsong Worship, “What A Beautiful Name,” "Who You Say I Am" and “King of Kings,” churches and believers around the world celebrate the release of worship artist Brooke Ligertwood's solo worship album Seven.
These staples, sung at church worship services worldwide, continue to put the Word of God into the minds, mouths, and hearts of Christians everywhere. I had the chance to speak with Brooke Ligertwood about her latest song, “A Thousand Hallelujahs.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
“A Thousand Hallelujahs” has been an unexpected blessing. For this song, my husband Scott and I sat with our friend Phil Wickham, the popular contemporary artist, in the century-or-so old small church hall that hosts the congregation Phil and his family attends in Southern California.
We were sitting in that church with Phil and we began speaking about the generations who had gathered and brought their “hallelujahs” to the Lord in that place. Thousands of them. That’s how “A Thousand Hallelujahs” was born.
It was only after the song was written we realized that in Psalm 96:4 The Message translation references “a thousand hallelujahs.” Now, we get to sit and stand in their wake and bring our worship and our hallelujahs in the hopes that generations after us, will bring their hallelujahs to the Lord.
Although simple, there are moments in the song lyrically that ascribe God’s glory and His worthiness of all our worship. I’m thankful for songs like this that are a smooth highway for people to step into and get into the presence of the Lord and bring Him worship.
What Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Psalm 96:4-6(MSG): “For God is great and worth a thousand Hallelujahs. His furious beauty puts the other gods to shame; Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags. God made the heavens—Royal splendor radiates from Him; A powerful beauty sets Him apart.”
John 8:12(MSG): Jesus once again addressed them: “I am the world’s Light. No one who follows Me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live."
Psalm 57:7-9 (NIV): "My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples."
Psalm 5:11(ESV): "But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread Your protection over them, that those who love Your name may exult in You."
Psalm 150:2(VOICE): "Praise Him for His powerful acts, redeeming His people. Praise Him for His greatness that surpasses our time and understanding."
Colossians 3:16(VOICE): "Let the word of the Anointed One richly inhabit your lives. With all wisdom teach, counsel, and instruct one another. Sing the psalms, compose hymns and songs inspired by the Spirit, and keep on singing--sing to God from hearts full and spilling over with thankfulness."
Psalm 95:1-3(KJV): "Come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods."
What is the takeaway message?
As pastor Darrell Johnson says, when we come to worship on a Sunday, we join a worship service that has been happening long before we were around and will continue long after our earthly time ceases.
“A Thousand Hallelujahs” finds context in not only the generation worship of Christ’s Church on the earth but the eternal reality of worship in heaven.
When we worship, we join both. With lyrics that celebrate the origin and direction of glory, the song itself also becomes the vehicle for how to return that glory where it belongs—to Christ. It is intrinsically, deliberately, singularly vertical, and tantalizingly joyful. I pray it becomes of use and timely help to believers and congregations everywhere.
Lyrics
Who else would rocks cry out to worship? Whose glory taught the stars to shine. Perhaps creation longs to have the words to sing But this joy is mine
With a thousand hallelujahs We magnify Your name You alone deserve the glory The honor and the praise Lord Jesus This song is forever Yours A thousand hallelujahs And a thousand more
Who else would die for our redemption?
Whose resurrection means I’ll rise. There isn’t time enough to sing of all You’ve done But I have eternity to try
With a thousand hallelujahs We magnify Your name You alone deserve the glory The honor and the praise Lord Jesus This song is forever Yours A thousand hallelujahs And a thousand more
Praise to the Lord To the lamb To the King of Heaven Praise for He rose Now He reigns We will sing forever
(We sing) Praise to the Lord To the lamb To the King of Heaven Praise for He rose Now He reigns We will sing forever
With a thousand hallelujahs
We magnify Your name You alone deserve the glory The honor and the praise Lord Jesus This song is forever Yours A thousand hallelujahs And a thousand more
Praise To the Lord To the lamb To the king of heaven Praise For He rose Now He reigns We will sing forever
With a thousand hallelujahs We magnify Your name You alone deserve the glory The honor and the praise Lord Jesus This song is forever Yours A thousand hallelujahs And a thousand more
Closing Thoughts
If you’ve always enjoyed Brooke’s worship anthems, you’re in for a treat with “A Thousand Hallelujahs.” This stirring new song sets me in the proper mindset to praise God for loving me so much that He gave His life away for all that was lost. This song is a great way to express joy, thankfulness, and dedication to Him.
By reading the Bible daily, God wants us to have a daily reminder to not be afraid. We serve a God who has infinitely more for us than we can think or imagine. Once the light of the Holy Spirit is in you, you can show that light to others as you live your daily life, including outside of worship.
“A Thousand Hallelujahs” celebrates the freedom we are promised in 2 Corinthians 5:17: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." Christians are new creations on the inside.
The Holy Spirit gives us new life. And we don't have to live anymore with our guilt, fears, or worries—especially as we all face this coronavirus pandemic together. This is a great message and song for us to celebrate our freedom based on our faith in Christ Jesus.
Worship is really about submission and being in awe of God. Worship is about giving Him our best, offering all of ourselves to Him. In our fast-paced society, how often are we dedicating our whole hearts to God? Do we offer up half-hearted prayers, or do we seek Him with all our heart?
Jesus wants to give you Himself, so you can bask in His light of life and not walk in darkness. Before God created man, He created light. God sent Jesus so that we could have a light return.
This is our story and challenge: to think about how we're reflecting the light of Jesus and how we're spending our time before we die. God desperately wants to fill us with His light and His mercy to make us new. The Lord's glory, His strength, is found in our weakness. This song celebrates that truth.
This song is a game-changer when you sing it in Spirit and truth to the Lord and ask to be in His presence and to hear His voice. When you abide in His grace, you won't be the same.
His grace takes away anxiety, guilt, and shame. Know that being His is enough. I love the lyrics, “With a thousand hallelujahs/We magnify Your name/You alone deserve the glory/The honor and the praise/Lord Jesus this song is forever Yours/A thousand hallelujahs and a thousand more.”
I've written song devotionals about 1,106 songs since starting this series in March 2008. Each song lifts the name of Jesus. As I reflect on the Lord allowing me to write about over 1,000 songs, I realize that all these devotionals cannot lift His name high enough, raising our hallelujahs, which we'll be singing for eternity.
The foretaste of that blessed truth causes me to sing along loudly, “Who else would die for our redemption? Whose resurrection means I’ll rise? There isn’t time enough to sing of all You’ve done/But I have eternity to try.” Amen to that.
NRT Lead Contributor Kevin Davis is a long-time fan of Christian music and an avid music collector. He credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. Currently, he lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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