A Hard Fought Hallelujah

I have absolutely loved the new song, Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake and Jelly Roll. Have you heard it yet? As I’ve listened to Jelly share some of his story his transparency and vulnerability has really grabbed me. It got me thinking about how life has a way of leading us through valleys —moments where the struggle seems unbearable, and where we face obstacles that break us down. This is especially true for those of us experiencing grief and loss. But what if these struggles, instead of defeating us, can begin shaping us? What if our hardships are meant to break down the walls we build around our hearts, making way for a hard-fought hallelujah? In hindsight, I’ve found that I have drawn closer to God during the hardest moments and greatest challenges in my life more than at any other time.

When we are experiencing sorrow due to loss it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. We may question our strength, doubt our purpose, or even feel abandoned by God. But it is precisely in these moments that we are brought face to face with our deepest vulnerabilities. Struggle keeps us honest, revealing parts of ourselves that we may have kept hidden—our fears, our pride, our pain. It forces us to acknowledge that we cannot carry the weight of the world on our own.

The journey to a hallelujah—our heartfelt praise to God—is not always easy or immediate. It’s often hard-fought. It’s earned through the trials, the tears, and the moments where we think we’ve reached our limit. But as we struggle, something powerful happens: the walls we’ve built around our hearts that separate us from God’s grace, begin to crumble. These walls may be made of bitterness, shame, guilt, or fear, but they break down through the refining fire of struggle.

And then, in the midst of the rubble, we find ourselves in a posture of surrender. We lift our hands to God, not because we’ve found all the answers or because the struggle has disappeared, but because we’ve learned that we can’t do it alone. We reach out to the One who has been with us all along. In that surrender, we experience the beautiful truth of God’s love, support and forgiveness.

God’s love doesn’t erase the struggle, but it redeems it. It transforms the pain and the hardship into something sacred. What was once a burden becomes a path to healing. What once felt like defeat becomes the very thing that brought us closer to God.

This is the essence of a hard-fought hallelujah. It’s the moment when, after all the fighting, doubting, and wrestling, we find ourselves lifting our voices in praise, not because life is perfect, but because we have encountered God’s perfect love. His love makes it all good, and through His grace, our brokenness is made whole.