Mensa Otabil - The Power of Praise
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Welcome to day number 16 of our 40 days of power. 2 Chronicles chapter 20:21 to 22. And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, who should praise the beauty of holiness. As they went before the army, they were saying, «Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever.» And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, and they were defeated.
What a battle strategy! One of the ways to take authority as Christians is to praise the Lord. Praise and worship are part of our spiritual weapons. I would probably call it a secret spiritual weapon. And I call it a secret spiritual weapon because it’s not always seen. People don’t value it much. But King Jehoshaphat valued it. He had an army come against him; three different nations had united their armies to come against Judah.
King Jehoshaphat was perplexed and had no clue how to fight this battle. He received a word from the Lord that God was going to fight for him. So he consulted with his leaders and determined that if God is fighting for us, if God is on our side, how do we approach this battle? How do you face life when you know God is the one fighting for you? That He’s gone ahead of you. The enemy may be formidable, but God is almighty. And so they said, «Well, if God is fighting for us, then the logical thing to do is put the praise and worship leaders in front.»
So they placed the worshippers, the priests who were singing, and the Bible says they praised the beauty of holiness, proclaiming that He is good and His mercies endure forever. Oh, I would have wished to see that sight of an army behind worshippers, worshippers leading an army to battle. If you were with Jehoshaphat at that time, you might have thought that this was the wrong battle strategy. You might have thought, «Well, if I have an army coming against me, let me also build my army.»
If Jehoshaphat had done that, if he had faced the enemy with the same weapons as the enemy, he would have experienced a miserable failure. But he faced the enemy with superior weapons. Yes, they had an army behind them, but in front were the worshippers. This means that whenever we go into battle, we must have an army behind us. But what we lead with is the name of the Lord, the praise of the Lord. Prepare, plan, do all that you have to do to fight your battle, but put God first. Put His worship first. Put His name first. And that is how they took authority, and those enemy armies were overcome. Many times, you know, people go to church, and they don’t take the time to worship God, even during the praise and worship time. People don’t sing; people don’t worship.
Today, as you go to church, worship God as if your life depends on it. And truly, your life depends on it. The battle of next week is being led with praise and worship. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Praise His name. Honor His name during the praise and worship. Let your heart burst forth with praise and watch what God is going to do for you in this coming week. Let praise lead, and let the army follow.
Let us pray. Say with me, «Heavenly Father, I praise You because You are good and Your mercies endure forever, in Jesus' name.» Amen.