a broken hallelujah

King David says in Psalm 51:

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise."

Today is just one of those days..



I've been listening all morning to the song "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley. It gets me every time. Some of you may object to the way he mixes around the Biblical images and applies them to himself and some girl.. I did at first. But now I think he has the sense of it, the.. what's the word? The ethos. He has the ethos of David's brokenness right, if not the details.

So over and over and over today as I'm working on spreadsheet formulae, I hear the snatches of the verses and refrain:

"...her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya..."
"...and love is not a victory march - it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah..."
"...and every breath we drew was 'Hallelujah!'..."
"...it's not somebody who's seen the light, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah..."

Maybe it's a desperate Hallelujah, really. Revealed weakness crying out for needed strength - from the only Source of it left to tap.

Finally I can't stand it anymore and have to change the song. But I can't seem to stay away from old familiar ones, often sad ones. Arghh! This is one problem with working from home. If I'm feeling blue.. there isn't much to stop it.



But enough of Jeff Buckley, and back to King David! David, at least, always, always, returns to hope. :) In the same psalm, he also says:

"Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
...

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
...

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."



Oh, that sounds good. :) Would You, please? I could use this today.

And all month long.