“HOSANNA in the Highest!"

I was sitting in my home office, with my Bible open, and thinking of just how good and gracious God is to us.  I cannot revisit the life (and death) of Jesus Christ without thinking of his great love for us.  A line from a melodious worship song ran through my mind, ‘hosanna, hosanna . . .’ and I thought of the townspeople waving their palm branches and saying ‘hosanna’ to Jesus.  But I couldn’t think of the origination of the word, so I looked it up.

Hosanna is a Christianized form of the Hebrew word Hoshana. It is a combination of the words Yahsha (help, succor, rescue, save, deliver) and na (please, I pray now, I beseech you). In the Jewish context, it was originally a cry to God for help, “Save, please!” (Psalm 118:25) but later on it took on a broader meaning. Over the centuries the phrase hoshiya na stopped being a cry for help in the ordinary language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and exultation. Gradually it came to mean,                                   

                            "Salvation! has come!"

When Jesus was in the center of the procession as he entered Jerusalem, the people all around him were shouting, "Salvation has come! Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest heaven!"

It is the excitement of a heart that sees hope and joy and salvation on the way and can't keep it in. So "Hosanna!" means, "Hooray for salvation! It's coming! It's here! The Son of David [Jesus] is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king!”

please click and listen---so amazing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4NklUj0pfc

Here are the words to HOSANNA by Hillsong

I see the king of glory ?coming on the clouds with fire?            

The whole earth shakes?, the whole earth shakes . . .??yeeeah??

I see his love and mercy ?washing over all our sin?

The people sing?, the people sing . . .??

Hosanna, ?Hosanna, ?Hosanna in the highest . . .?

 

I see a generation ?rising up to take their place?

With selfless faith?, with selfless faith?

I see a near revival ?stirring as we pray and seek?

We're on our knees?, we're on our knees ??[Chorus]??

Heal my heart and make it clean ?

Open up my eyes to the things unseen?

Show me how to love like you have loved me??

Break my heart from what breaks yours?

Everything I am for your kingdoms cause?

As I go from nothing to Eternity? . . .

One morning last week, I just let the words of this song form my morning prayer to the Lord.  Actually, it forms quite a comprehensive prayer—from envisioning the King to our reaction to his greatness, prayer for a tender heart and a consuming, selfless love to revival, and thoughts of the next generation of believers . . .  but most of all, ‘Hosanna’, ‘thank you for saving us, thank you for loving us!’ 

And in the next breath I think of John’s words, ‘You are worthy, Lord, to receive honor and glory and praise.’  Yep, Lord, you are – you alone.

Christine

-               *Luis Yosefus