“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.” (2 Chronicles 20:22)
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.” (Acts 16:25-26)
Have you ever had a bad day or been in a grumpy mood, and then you get in your car and that worship song starts to play? As the words start to penetrate your thoughts, you feel the edge taken off your irritability. The frustration of the day starts to lift, and as the notes and lyrics wash over you, you begin to hum. Then as you fully submit to worship and begin to sing, you feel yourself change?
Worship is powerful. It is another weapon in our arsenal against the enemy. Throughout the Psalms, David gives us example after example of being in the darkest pit and being able to climb out through praising God. Praise fights against the very mindsets and lies the enemy is using to derail us. Worship sets our thoughts and attention on God’s truths. Psalm 18:3 says,”I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
There is something so special about being in a room full of believers singing their hearts out to the Lord in worship. Worship ushers in the presence of God. In Psalm 22:3 David says of the Lord, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.” When we worship, our focus is on God. We are meditating on who he is and what he has done. We remind ourselves of his greatness. The words we sing come into direct opposition with the enemy and set our hearts and minds on the one who is worthy of all praise. When we worship, we remind ourselves and the enemy of God’s power and might.
In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehosaphat was warned of an impending attack by their enemies. As he fasted and prayed for a battle strategy, The Lord promised to fight this battle for him. He began to praise the Lord. Jehosaphat led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem in praise to the Lord. When they began to worship, the Lord caused their enemies to become confused and they began destroying one another. Worship was the weapon that confused the enemy. They literally won a battle by praising God.
In Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were in jail, their praise caused the earth to shake and broke open their prison doors and released them from their bonds. Not only did worship free them from imprisonment, it was instrumental in their jailer and his family receiving the Lord and getting baptized. And can you guess what the response of that family was? That’s right, praise!
When we worship the Lord, it is powerful. God is in our praise and he uses it to break the power of whatever enemy we face. As we fast and pray for the breakthrough of all kinds of diseases, sicknesses, disabilities, addictions, pain, torment, pervasive thoughts, anxiety, lack of finances, broken relationships, traumas…whatever you are battling…worship the Lord. Worship with every fiber of your being. Choose to meditate on the goodness of God and take your eyes off of where the enemy wants your attention. Allow him to invade your circumstances and go to battle on your behalf as you focus on all that he is.
Listening Prayer:
Holy Spirit, what attributes of God’s nature do I need to reflect on in worship today? What strategies of worship will help me overcome what I am facing today. Spend time worshiping as he directs.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank you for the weapon of worship. You knew worship would not only bring glory and honor due your name, but it would change us as we worship. When the enemy strikes, help me to remember to keep my eyes focused on you and to keep my mouth filled with your praise. Help me to keep my eyes fixed on you, the solution, instead of meditating on what the enemy is doing
Resource: Bible Verses on Worship as Warfare
“But the Lord is with me as a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble; they will not overcome me. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hand of evildoers.” (Jeremiah 20:11-13)
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29)
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:1-2)
“Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written!” (Psalm 149:5-9)
Worship Song:
“We Praise You”, by Bethel Music and Brandon Lake