“Are you okay, Mom?”
I had run to my parents’ door because I heard my mom scream, and I was worried she was hurt. Turns out that she was uninjured. While changing, she put on a pair of jeans she hadn't worn in a while. When she put her hands in her pockets to smooth them out, her hand hit something unexpected.
She found a $100 bill hiding in her jeans! At a time when our family was living lean due to my dad’s job as the pastor of a small church, my mom was ecstatic, and her joy was contagious. I’ve put on jeans thousands of times since then, but I haven’t found any $100 bills yet.
This story from my childhood came to mind recently when I listened to an interview with Lauren Daigle, as she shared with K-LOVE about the origin behind her song, “Let It Be A Hallelujah.” Just as my mom discovered treasure hidden in forgotten pockets, Lauren Daigle recently found a different kind of treasure - a song she'd written and forgotten, waiting for the perfect time to be shared.
Daigle wrote “Let It Be a Hallelujah” in 2015, but didn’t release it until 2025. However, as Daigle tells the story, her label approached her about a 10th anniversary re-release of the “How Can It Be?” album. The label suggested that she record “Let It Be a Hallelujah,” a song that had been discovered in “the vault,” as Daigle had written but never released it. Though she enjoyed writing and singing a decade before, she had forgotten about it. As she looks back, she describes a personal journey to KLOVE Radio, one where God wore down her innocence and took her through “the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Daigle reflected, “Can I still utter the same prayer that I once did in my youth?... I just want a hallelujah to still come from my lips…It needed to be a song that's withstood the test of time. For me, it was like more of the personal test of time to be able to say, ‘Yeah, even after all of this, at the end of the day, that is my heart's cry, that is the prayer upon my lips.’”
The song opens with Daigle quoting and revising the lyrics of Francis Havergal’s famous hymn, ”Take My Life and Let It Be.” The opening verse of Havergal’s hymn begins the first of twelve couplets of self-consecration.
“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.”
The song continues, shifting from quoting beloved hymns to beloved Psalms. The word “Hallelujah” is Hebrew in origin, meaning “Praise God.” Daigle’s lyrics echo the word’s meaning, quoting Psalm 150:6, the final verse of the book. “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!”
In the second verse, Daigle’s lyrics reflect her sense of losing her innocence, with God carrying her through good days and bad days.
“All my hopes and all my fears
Every trial, every tear
In the chaos, You remain
Faithful all the way.”
Daigle’s lyrics echo one of my favorite word pictures in the Psalms. Similarly, In Psalm 56:8, David writes about being captured by the Philistines. “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
Losing innocence is painful, hence the tears and sorrows. But what if adversity actually deepens faith rather than destroys it? As a pastor, I’ve sat with countless people who shared how they experienced a powerful sense of God’s presence in the midst of a place they never planned to be.
When we hear someone sing the word “Hallelujah” - whether that’s a famous recording artist like Lauren Daigle or a personal friend we know well, we would be wise to remember the path that led this person to that ancient word. “Let It Be a Hallelujah” is not a song sung at the beginning of a journey with idealism and no scars. The song is a reflection on God's faithfulness. As Daigle noted, “After all of this, at the end of the day, that is my heart's cry, that is the prayer upon my lips.”
If you’ve been through the valley of the shadow of death and feel weary from the hurts life has doled out along the way, take time to listen to this song that’s been dusted off after many years of being hidden away. What prayers from your youth still ring true after all you've experienced? Let Lauren Daigle’s “Let It Be a Hallelujah” remind you that God has not abandoned you, nor has He left His work in you incomplete.
May you claim the promise Paul shared with the Philippians. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker who loves tacos, matcha, 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 six million readers through trusted platforms such as the YouVersion Bible App, Air1 Radio, and Our Daily Bread. 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. Tens of thousands of subscribers from over forty countries are excited to read his free newsletter every Tuesday morning. You can join here today!
