July 27th, 2022
You are holy, O you who inhabit the praises of Israel.” – Psalm 22:3
Have you ever taken time to think about the power of your praise? There are hundreds of verses about praising God in the Bible and it would absolutely change our lives if we really grabbed ahold of the truths in them. There is a powerful story found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-23 that deals with this. 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 says,
“Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea…Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
Jehoshaphat was understandably afraid when he heard that multiple armies had united against him. However, as Judah fasted and prayed, they received an answer from heaven. God said in 2 Chronicles 20:13-17,
“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Now, in that prophetic word, God doesn’t give specific instructions as to how the battle will be won. He just promised they would see victory, without even fighting. The next verses are very interesting. 2 Chronicles 20:20-23 says,
“And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.”
I think we can all agree that regardless of the time period, nation, or context, this was not a good battle plan. In the face of a multitude of soldiers coming up to kill them, Jehoshaphat decided to appoint the singers, the musicians, to go out before the army, praising God. In the natural, this was crazy! Even if God told you you’d win, sending out the musicians before the soldiers didn’t make sense. However, Jehoshaphat understood the power of the promise God had given and knew that they couldn’t be defeated if they praised Him. There is another story in Judges 20 that is reminiscent of this one. However, in that story, Israel was going up into battle against Benjamin. Before the battle began, the people sought the Lord for the strategy. Judges 20:18 says,
“The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”
Now, a very interesting detail about this story, that is not a coincidence, is that Judah means praise. That story doesn’t tell us that musicians or singers went out first, but God sent Judah, meaning praise, to battle first. There is a spiritual truth there that Jehoshaphat may have remembered when he faced a battle hundreds of years later! When the musicians began to praise God, the opposing armies began to fight and destroy one another, and Jehoshaphat won the battle without them even having to fight.
This truth applies to us, too. Praise is mentioned hundreds of times throughout the Scripture, especially in the Psalms. I think many times, the church just thinks of praise and worship as the songs we sing before the sermon, and we don’t ever go any deeper than that. However, understanding what praise is will change our lives. First of all, praise has to be out loud. It’s a verbal declaration, sometimes with music, that magnifies some aspect of who God is. We can’t praise God silently, in our hearts. It has to be something that comes out of our mouths and the Bible often talks about shouts and loud praises! Psalm 34:1 says,
“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 63:3-4 says,
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
Psalms 33:1 says,
“Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.”
Jesus talked about this in Luke 19:37-40. It says,
“As [Jesus] was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Can you imagine the roar of the crowd shouting His praises as Jesus came into Jerusalem to die on the cross? When the Pharisees challenged Him, His response is incredible. If these were silent, the very rocks would cry out. Praise is creation’s natural response to our Creator. If we didn’t praise Him, the earth would respond. However, it’s why we were made, and we miss out if we don’t praise.
Praise is the natural response to a heart that has received the love of God. It extols His goodness in our own lives and gives us the opportunity to thank Him for all that He’s done. It’s important to understand that praising God does nothing to change who He is. God has always been and will always be God and nothing about His character—His love, His goodness, or His power—will ever change. Praise changes us. When we magnify God, we shift the focus of our heart from any battle or concern in our lives to the One who has provided every answer. When we sing of His unfailing love, we can’t feel afraid. When we shout of His wondrous works, we can’t be disappointed. When we glorify the One who gave everything for us, we can’t be conscious of any need in our lives. Every tactic of the enemy is intent on getting us to look away from God and believe a lie. However, God inhabits the praises of His people. The power of the enemy is absolutely broken by our praise, because when we praise Him, He comes, and when He comes, we have everything we need.
Have you ever taken time to think about the power of your praise? There are hundreds of verses about praising God in the Bible and it would absolutely change our lives if we really grabbed ahold of the truths in them. There is a powerful story found in 2 Chronicles 20:1-23 that deals with this. 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 says,
“Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea…Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.”
Jehoshaphat was understandably afraid when he heard that multiple armies had united against him. However, as Judah fasted and prayed, they received an answer from heaven. God said in 2 Chronicles 20:13-17,
“Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you.”
Now, in that prophetic word, God doesn’t give specific instructions as to how the battle will be won. He just promised they would see victory, without even fighting. The next verses are very interesting. 2 Chronicles 20:20-23 says,
“And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the LORD and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
“Give thanks to the LORD, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.”
I think we can all agree that regardless of the time period, nation, or context, this was not a good battle plan. In the face of a multitude of soldiers coming up to kill them, Jehoshaphat decided to appoint the singers, the musicians, to go out before the army, praising God. In the natural, this was crazy! Even if God told you you’d win, sending out the musicians before the soldiers didn’t make sense. However, Jehoshaphat understood the power of the promise God had given and knew that they couldn’t be defeated if they praised Him. There is another story in Judges 20 that is reminiscent of this one. However, in that story, Israel was going up into battle against Benjamin. Before the battle began, the people sought the Lord for the strategy. Judges 20:18 says,
“The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.”
Now, a very interesting detail about this story, that is not a coincidence, is that Judah means praise. That story doesn’t tell us that musicians or singers went out first, but God sent Judah, meaning praise, to battle first. There is a spiritual truth there that Jehoshaphat may have remembered when he faced a battle hundreds of years later! When the musicians began to praise God, the opposing armies began to fight and destroy one another, and Jehoshaphat won the battle without them even having to fight.
This truth applies to us, too. Praise is mentioned hundreds of times throughout the Scripture, especially in the Psalms. I think many times, the church just thinks of praise and worship as the songs we sing before the sermon, and we don’t ever go any deeper than that. However, understanding what praise is will change our lives. First of all, praise has to be out loud. It’s a verbal declaration, sometimes with music, that magnifies some aspect of who God is. We can’t praise God silently, in our hearts. It has to be something that comes out of our mouths and the Bible often talks about shouts and loud praises! Psalm 34:1 says,
“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
Psalm 63:3-4 says,
“Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.”
Psalms 33:1 says,
“Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.”
Jesus talked about this in Luke 19:37-40. It says,
“As [Jesus] was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” Can you imagine the roar of the crowd shouting His praises as Jesus came into Jerusalem to die on the cross? When the Pharisees challenged Him, His response is incredible. If these were silent, the very rocks would cry out. Praise is creation’s natural response to our Creator. If we didn’t praise Him, the earth would respond. However, it’s why we were made, and we miss out if we don’t praise.
Praise is the natural response to a heart that has received the love of God. It extols His goodness in our own lives and gives us the opportunity to thank Him for all that He’s done. It’s important to understand that praising God does nothing to change who He is. God has always been and will always be God and nothing about His character—His love, His goodness, or His power—will ever change. Praise changes us. When we magnify God, we shift the focus of our heart from any battle or concern in our lives to the One who has provided every answer. When we sing of His unfailing love, we can’t feel afraid. When we shout of His wondrous works, we can’t be disappointed. When we glorify the One who gave everything for us, we can’t be conscious of any need in our lives. Every tactic of the enemy is intent on getting us to look away from God and believe a lie. However, God inhabits the praises of His people. The power of the enemy is absolutely broken by our praise, because when we praise Him, He comes, and when He comes, we have everything we need.
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