“Raise A Hallelujah”— The Song that Became a Weapon
Our VICTORY album was inspired by the story of King Jehoshaphat and the unlikely victory won by sending worshipers to the front lines of battle in 2 Chronicles 20:22 “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”
These songs were forged in the midst of extreme circumstances, ushering our community into a place of unified dependence where we learned to fight battles God’s way – with worship.
“Raise A Hallelujah” was originally written for Bethel Music CEO Joel Taylor’s son, Jaxon, who was hospitalized with life-threatening E-coli virus. Worship leaders and friends Jonathan and Melissa Helser were in constant contact with the Taylors from the beginning of the crisis and received news one night that the Taylors didn’t think Jaxon would make it through the night. The couple began to pray as soon as they heard the news, and out of their intercession came this melody, “I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies. I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief.”
This song became a weapon for the Taylors when they didn’t have any prayers left to pray. Janie and Joel Taylor sang this song along with several others over Jaxon for several weeks and watched as his health was fully restored and he was admitted to go home.
Little did we know that this wouldn’t be the only boy brought to life through this song. Since the release of this album, we have received stories from people around the world experiencing breakthrough and healing. Here’s a story that left us all astounded and so encouraged, as a brave little girl sang “Raise A Hallelujah” over her unconscious brother. You won’t believe what happened next.
Girl Sings “Raise A Hallelujah,” Drowning Boy Comes Back to Life
Levi Floyd was out at the beach with his family, playing in the ocean with his little cousin. In water up to his knees, Levi and his cousin were playing a game of diving under waves. Levi went to dive under a wave, and to his cousin’s surprise, he didn’t come back up.
Levi’s dad saw him floating on top of the water and approached the two boys. He picked up Levi’s limp, blue body and brought him to the shore. Another cousin came over, and upon discovering that Levi had no pulse, she began to operate CPR. Levi’s dad dropped to the ground and prayed.
Levi still wasn’t breathing, and former life flight nurse approached the scene to help as well. The CPR was causing Levi to vomit up water, but he still wasn’t getting enough air to his lungs. This is when Levi’s family gathered around and started to sing and pray.
Levi’s sister, known for being shy, hit the ground on her knees and sang, “I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies.”
Her friends joined her in the song and they began to get louder. At that moment, the former life flight nurse reported that Levi had a pulse. Because Levi was without a pulse for 5 minutes before he was revived, he should have had brain issues from the lack of blood flow. Levi fully recovered with no brain damage and was even able to recall hearing his family sing and pray over him.
The family has been so relieved and in awe of what happened on the beach that day, and they say they will never be the same. Find the news article for this story by The Christian Post here
Do you have a story about how this song impacted your life? We would love to hear your testimony, email us at [email protected].