What comes to mind when you hear the word hallelujah?
For me, I think of two things right away. First, I imagine a worship service where people raise their hands, and everyone sings, “Hallelujah.” Second, I think of what it feels like to finally come to the end of a hard season or get the piece of good news you've been waiting on. You take a deep breath, fall back into a chair with a sigh of relief, and mutter, “Hallelujah.”
Those are powerful hallelujah moments. But we don't have to save hallelujah for emotional worship moments or the days when we finally get what we wanted. Hallelujah can be part of every day, including the difficult ones.
That's the idea behind Phil Wickham's song, “Everyday Hallelujah.” And interestingly, the idea for the song didn't begin with a songwriting session. It actually began with a book.
While writing a book by the same name, Wickham thought deeply about what it means to live a life of worship. As he worked on the book, those ideas began making their way into his music.
Before the song was even finished, Wickham shared an early version with his listeners. At the end of the deluxe edition of his album, Song of the Saints, he recorded a voice memo explaining the book and then shared an unfinished version of the song.
A few months later, the song “Everyday Hallelujah” was released. And the idea behind both can be summed up in one sentence Wickham has repeated often, which also closes out his lyric video: “Not all hallelujahs are sung; most of them are lived.”
Wickham’s reflection echoes something the Apostle Paul wrote nearly two thousand years ago in Romans 12. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Paul describes something much costlier than giving God an hour on Sunday or singing a hymn. He urges us to offer God our bodies. Worship involves what we do with the life God has given us, and it includes everything!
While promoting the book and song, Wickham has pointed out that we often separate life into spiritual and non-spiritual categories. Attending a church service feels spiritual, as does prayer. But much of the rest of our lives can feel completely disconnected from worship and far from spiritual.
However, Romans 12 gives us a much bigger picture. If worship means offering ourselves to God, then worship isn't confined to a church service or a song. The ordinary parts of your day can become an offering to God too. They can be an “everyday hallelujah.”
But the song takes the idea even further when Wickham sings,
“In the joy and in the pain
In the sun and in the rain”
The good news is that an everyday hallelujah isn't confined to an ordinary day. It includes the hard ones too.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul wrote: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
I want to pause and make an important distinction. One word in this passage turns the whole message. Notice that Paul doesn't say we have to give thanks for every circumstance. He calls the believers in Thessalonica to be thankful in every circumstance.
There's a big difference between those two words, and that difference deserves our attention and reflection. Some things that happen to us aren't good; they're unjust or even vile. There will also be times when God's answer to our prayers is “no” or “not yet,” and we don't understand what He's doing. Being thankful in those circumstances is far from easy.
Worship doesn't require us to pretend that we feel good or fake that things are ideal.
In the announcement for the Everyday Hallelujah EP, Wickham shared, “Writing this song was a reminder to myself that God is worthy of our praise in every moment. I hope listening to it does the same for you.”
Sharing your everyday hallelujah means you don't have to wait until the diagnosis changes or the relationship gets repaired. You don't need to hold off until the door finally opens or your feelings shift. You can give God your everyday hallelujah today.
Perhaps yours will be sung today. Maybe tomorrow it will be lived. Either way, you don't have to wait for a better day to worship the God who is with you in this one. You can worship Him right now, right where you are.
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker who loves tacos, green tea, and sneakers. With more than twenty years of ministry experience, he teaches with a blend of Biblical truth, emotional awareness, and the compassion shaped by his own struggles.
Scott’s writing has impacted over ten million people through trusted platforms such as the YouVersion Bible App, Air1 Radio, and Our Daily Bread. He’s the author of Faith Behind the Song, a 40-day devotional book published in partnership with K-Love Books. Whether speaking on a stage or writing on a page, he offers a steady, empathetic voice that reassures people they are seen, loved, and not beyond God's healing reach. You can sign up to receive his weekly newsletter at ScottSavageLive.com today!
