WARFARE WORSHIP (1)

“Now when they began to SING and to PRAISE, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir...” – 2 Chronicles 20:22a

The account of King Jehoshaphat presents a classic Old Testament example of WARFARE WORSHIP: “Now 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” (2Chr.20:22). Our warfare is victorious only if God is in it. Worship, by enlisting God, assures us that He will be in it. In both the Old and New Testaments, we see evidence of this reality that Worship enlists God. In today’s meditation text, King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah faced humanly insurmountable enemies. As the great multitude of God’s people gathered in humility to fast and pray regarding the ensuing battle, crying out to God for victory, the prophet Jahaziel declared:

“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you” (v.17). This prophecy was followed by Worship: “And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, WORSHIPING the LORD” (v.18). How does an army go down against an enemy and “position” themselves, suggesting movement, while standing still and not having to fight? However, “when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should SING to the Lord, and who should PRAISE the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army…” (v.21).

As Judah took a position of Worship, God fulfilled His promise to come to dwell amid those who praise Him. So massive was the Victory that it required three full days to gather up all the spoils (v.25). Worship, evidently, had enlisted God. When God’s people come into His Presence with worship, thanksgiving and praise, our battles become His and they are won by His supernatural power. In the face of challenge and persecution, we must unite and worship Him. The enemy has no chance of winning against people who are consumed with worshiping God. Those who rejoice in His Great Glory are undefeatable. It was not the harmony of the music rendered by the choir that defeated the enemies; it was the Presence of God’s mighty power that warred and won!

Praise and Worship are not about fast songs before the nice, slow songs. Praise is a declaration, a victory cry, proclaiming faith to stand firm in the place God has given us. Worship is a proclamation that the enemy’s intent to plunder us will not move us. If we must have the enemy flee from our lives, then we must praise our pathway to Victory! Praising and Worshiping God with other believers releases explosive faith that terrifies the Enemy. The high Praise of God breaks loose from the conform zone of self-concerns and truly rejoices in the Lord. Praise and Worship constitute a powerful war cry, declaring that we will stand strong and glorify God at all times through all circumstances. They usher us into God’s Presence where the enemy has no choice but to flee.

Praise and Worship are Weapons of Warfare that break through boundaries, to invade hell and excite heaven! Both extend beyond what we feel, how our day has been, or whether we have much or little. It allows us to go straight to the magnificent reality of Christ, our glorious Lord and King of Kings. Psalm 8:2 says, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” Even babies have been ordained by the Highest to silence the Enemy with Praise. With Worship and Praise, we rejoice in the face of opposition, using our spiritual warfare weapons against the devil: “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God for pulling down imaginations” (2Cor.10:4).