Livin' on the Hallelujah Side

Like a lot of churches ours has gone contemporary. Where once the robed choir stood now a praise and worship team leads the congregation in upbeat, rhythmic songs that rev the spirit into a frenzy of soul-burning worship then slowing down during the offering and communion to make hearts ready to receive the sermon.

Don’t get me wrong, I love contemporary Christian music, it is the mainstay of the Kyzer compound’s listening pleasure. However those old favorites etched into my heart when I was a new believer still call to me time and again. Songs like; Victory in Jesus, He Set Me Free, In the Garden, Amazing Grace, and others set my spirit to flight and fill me with joy, assurance, and the peace that passes all understanding.

Sometimes the worship pastor sprinkles in a few of the old stand bys just for good measure. One of my favorites is Hallelujah Side. I don’t know who wrote it and I’ve not heard it sung in several years except by my croaking voice when no one else is around. I particularly like verse 4 which goes like this:

Here the sun is always shining
here the sky is always bright
'Tis no place for gloomy Christians to abide
For my soul is filled with music and my heart with great delight
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

As a nation we are in troubled times…the bottom has fallen out of the economy, prices for even the basics have gone up significantly, we are in the midst of an election where one thing is certain, ‘change’ is afoot. It is enough for anyone to have a gloomy outlook on the future and life in general.

On a personal level we all experience times of trouble, times of struggle, times of simple melancholy, times when things are not going the way we think they should. As a mother, I am tempted to worry about our oldest son, his wife and family, with their big mortgage and active lives. I am tempted to worry about our youngest serving in the Army.

However, we have to trust and know that God is always in control. He is the same God that set the Israelites free from bondage in Egypt, the same God that was with them when they crossed the Red Sea on dry land, the same God that was in the fiery furnace, in the lions den, the same God that was with David as he stood firm with slingshot in hand and took aim with one stone, the same God in other situations described the Bible over. He never changes. In the face of that reality…how can we NOT be living on the hallelujah side?

Chorus
Oh, glory be to Jesus, let the hallelujahs roll
Help me ring the Savior's praises far and wide
For I've opened up tow'rd heaven all the windows of my soul
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

Let us lift up our hearts and open up the windows of our souls and begin living on the hallelujah side!

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~NIV

Hallelujah Side
Once a sinner far from Jesus I was perishing with cold
But the blessed Savior heard me when I cried
Then He threw His robe around me and He led me to His fold
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

Chorus
Oh, glory be to Jesus, let the hallelujahs roll
Help me ring the Savior's praises far and wide
For I've opened up tow'rd heaven all the windows of my soul
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

Tho' the world may sweep around me with her dazzle and her dreams
Yet I envy not her vanities and pride
For my soul looks up to heaven where the golden sunlight gleams
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

Not for all earth's golden millions would I leave this precious place
Tho' the tempter to persuade me oft has tried
For I'm safe in God's pavilion happy in His love and grace
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

Here the sun is always shining here the sky is always bright
'Tis no place for gloomy Christians to abide
For my soul is filled with music and my heart with great delight
And I'm living on the hallelujah side

And upon the streets of glory when we reach the other shore
And have safely crossed the Jordan's rolling tide
You will find me shouting "Glory" just outside my mansion door
Where I'm living on the hallelujah side