God’s high and holy praises fill their mouths, for their shouted praises are their weapons of war……..to bind kings with chains and rulers with iron shackles.
Psalm 149v6-8
We learned that Gods Word is a two-edged sword in our hand to both defend ourself against the attack of the enemy, and also to take more ground in our lives that has been under his influence.
Praise is another weapon in our God given armory. In 2 Chronicles 20 we read the history of King Jehoshaphat. He was the king of Judah when the Moabites, Ammonites and Meunites came to attack Jerusalem. This was a vast army that Jehoshaphat had no chance of defeating by natural means. As he and the people of Judah fasted and prayed God gave them the assurance that He would fight on their behalf. They wouldn’t need to do any fighting at all, but just stand and see the deliverance of God.
Jehoshaphat acted on the promise that God had given him. On the day of battle, he sent his singers and musicians out to the battlefield ahead of the army. As they began to sing their praises onto God, the enemy army turned against each other and began killing each other. By the time the Judean army arrived there was not a single enemy soldier standing. All were lying dead, killed by their own allies.
Today, we don’t go to war against people, but against the principalities and powers in the heavenly realm. It is an unseen enemy army, a vast horde of darkness and evil that wants to take us captive through subtle schemes and deceptive means. But God has promised that He will deliver us, and He has given us His weapons of warfare. Both are effective. Both are powerful.
We’ve already studied the need for understanding and applying the Word of God. But let us not neglect to study what praise accomplishes in our lives.
Satan, before he lifted himself up against God, is described as “the model of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty” Ezekiel 28v12. He was possibly in the highest position an angel could be, and as the angels are constantly worshipping God, it could be that he led the angels in their praise and worship. We read in Isaiah 14v13 that Satan was not content with his God given position. Pride filled his heart and he began to long to be God and receive all the praise and glory himself. He couldn’t bear to hear Yahweh receiving all this praise and so led a rebellion against Him which resulted in him being cast out of heaven.
What could be worse to a defeated foe than hearing his arch enemy being praised? What could be the most unbearable sound in the ears of the devil than the sound of God’s people praising the one true God. What will cause him to shrink back in terror, but the sound of God’s people marching along singing songs of victory.
When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned in Philippi, (Acts 16), they did not take their treatment as a defeat, but began to praise and worship God. This resulted in their chains falling off and the prison doors flying open. Can you imagine the horror and distress on the face of the enemy? He had meant to stop them preaching about the Salvation that God offers; salvation from the snare of sin, that came to the world through his very own deceptive methods. These men should be cursing God for their misfortune, not praising Him as their Saviour! Paul and Silas defeated his tactic. Not only did they continue to believe and trust God, but they ended up leading the prison jailer and his family to God.
When we praise God, we are confirming that we believe and trust in Him. Praise is not just singing songs, but exalting the Name of the Lord our God. It is acknowledging that He is Sovereign, the King of all kings and The Lord of all lords. When we praise and exalt God, faith will rise in our hearts and we will know that His Present Presence is with us, defeating our foe and strengthening us to endure whatever lies before us in the battle for the souls of men.
