Surfing is a big part of my life.
I think about it a lot. I dream about surfing. I rejoice in surfing, and take great pleasure in its enjoyment. This is the story of one way in which I express that joy.
Credit Where Credit is Due (source)
It’s hard to be complacent or quiet about this sport.
When you’re in the lineup and people are catching good waves left and right, there is a lot of enthusiasm. After an especially good wave, it’s real common to hear the favored surfer hoot and holler with pleasure.
I long ago decided to start tailoring my responses to great waves in a way that gives credit where credit is due. When I come down off of a particularly good ride, you are likely to hear me shout "Hallelujah!"
Catching good waves, left and right... (source)
The word "Hallelujah" is Hebrew.
Rather than being translated, it is transliterated, i.e. simply re-written in English letters. It literally means, "Praise Jehovah", that is, "Praise the Lord".
After all, Jesus the Lord God, invented the ocean. He also conceived of, designed, and created me.
Believing as I do in the sovereignty of God — i.e. God is in charge, in complete and absolute control of everything —, I know that each and every wave I catch out there has been lovingly handcrafted by Jesus himself, expressly for my enjoyment.
"But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create" - Isaiah 65:18
Each wave is a gift, and the really good waves are exceptional gifts.
And so, I get excited and let fly with some heartfelt praise. Halleleujah!
Each wave is a gift... (source)
Sometimes, for variation,
I will sing the three-fold Amen taught me by one of my favorite songwriters, Mark Heard.
Mark Heard is, to me, the ideal combination of poet, musician, and theologian. His "Threefold Amen" is a contemporary alternative to the resounding "A-men" of Christian hymnody often voiced at the end of the singing of a prayerful song.
Mark's version (extremely short, please do play it?) goes like this:
Mark Heard's "Threefold Amen"
Owner Fingerprint Records, via YouTube
A-amen, A-amen, Aaaa-aaaa-men, Oh, Yeah!
If you should ever be out surfing and hear someone singing, please paddle over to me and say "Hi."
Great wave? Oh, Yeah, indeed! Hallelujah!
I suspect and hope that my friend @inphiknit may be able to weigh in and offer additional insights into the meaning of "Hallelujah."
Check out my (click)->Library Surfing Shelf<-(click)
*FIN*
