The Praise Principle
Are you ever discouraged? When you are, what do you do
about it? Are you ever worried, even scared about your
future? Are there times that you are facing monstrous
problems and you do not know what to do about them? What
about facing persistent pain that seems to follow you
wherever you go? Are there any remedies to help us deal with
these struggles?
Absolutely! Why not praise God through song?
"But", you ask, "How could that help me with all those
problems?"
We often forget that we live in two different dimensions -
the dimension that we see and the dimension that we do not
see-the eternal dimension.
"But where is that found in the Bible?"
Eph 6:12 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms." NIV
"Wow! You mean there are actually agents trying to
discourage me by creating huge stumble blocks in my life?"
Absolutely. Only through God's power can you resist them.
The most effective ways of fighting these are through
dependence on God and through praise Him through songs of
worship. The principle is simple: When we praise God, the
devil and his agents cannot stand by. They will flee from
you. However, the opposite is also true of God. When we are
praising Him, we are inviting His Holy Spirit to dwell in us
and remove any insecurities that we may be facing.
James 4:7-8 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the
devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he
will come near to you." NIV
Tom White, president of The Voice of Martyrs experienced
this when he was captured by Cuban authorities on May 27,
1979 after his plane crashed on a Cuban highway after
dropping Christian literature over Cuba. The Cuban
authorities weren't too keen about what he had done and
tried to break his spirit by placing him alone in a dark,
ice-cold cell. A terrible icy draft was coming into his room
through the vents.
At first he was discouraged. He tried to keep himself warm
by walking around. It didn't work and he was getting colder
by the minute. He then tried to put himself into a foetal
position in the corner of his cell with his pant legs
stuffed into his socks so that the cold air would not go up
his pants. He then put his head in his shirt and tried to
keep himself warm with his breath. It helped for a few
minutes, but the cold soon became intolerable again, and he
started to shake more and more.
The only comfortable position would be to stand and lean
against the ice-cold wall with his forehead. He was in
despair and started to panic. He then remembered why he was
in prison and told himself that he was approaching his
problems the wrong way. He invited God's Spirit to come
dwell in him and started to praise God out loud by singing
every Christian song he knew. The Cuban guards were
confused, but every time they went to check on him, he was
continuing to sing.
When asked how he could sing, even in such circumstances, he
answered, "Because I love Jesus!" They replied: "If you love
Jesus, stop singing." But he didn't. He continued to praise
God through song, and soon he realized he wasn't that cold
any more. In fact, the cold was not bothering him at all!
God had come to his rescue from the bitter cold!
DC Talk and the Voice of the Martyrs. Jesus Freaks. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Albury
Publishing, 1999, p. 256-260.
www.persecution.com
Praising God through our singing is effective my friends!
Try it. Sing with conviction and with love towards your
Heavenly Father and you will notice an immediate a change in
how you are feeling about your situation. God is awesome!
Now I would like to base the effectiveness of praising God
on God's Word. There are so many texts to choose from. Paul
and Silas in prison, David facing trouble, etc.…. But I
would like to base this message on a text that isn't as well
known in our Western world. The text is found in 2 Chron.
20: 1-27. We find ourselves in a time period where
Jehoshaphat is king of Judah. Unlike his predecessors, He
was a good king who had a close relationship with his Maker.
Being a firm believer doesn't keep trouble out of our way
though! The Moabites joined ranks with the Ammonites and the
Menunites and decided to conquer Judah. This was a "vast
army" and Jehoshaphat had no way to match it. The
inhabitants of Judah, naturally, became discouraged. They
were sure they would all perish or become enslaved by their
enemies!
Jehoshaphat first reaction was to assemble his people and
pray to God. You know, my friend, you can never go wrong
when you consult first with your God in Heaven! Whenever you
are facing a huge problem or an impossible trial, try God
first, not last!
I love Jehosaphat's conclusion in his prayer: 2 Chron 20:12
"For we have no power to face this vast army that is
attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are
upon you." In other words, Jehosaphat is saying, "with our
eyes on you Lord, I hand over my problem, because it is a
God-sized problem! Humanly there are no solutions to it.
Only You have the solution!"
Immediately God's Spirit revealed Himself through Jahaziel
and he made the following prophecy: 2 Chron 20:15-17
"Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and
Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be
afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the
battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against
them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you
will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of
Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your
positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will
give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will
be with you.'" NIV
More easily said that done, right? Of course we know we
should not be afraid when facing problems, because we know
that: "the battle is not yours, but God's." But so often we
forget who our partner is when we become Christians. God is
our Father, why would He neglect helping His children?
"You will not have to fight this battle." The people of
Judah received God's guarantee that they would not have to
lift one finger or sword against this huge army. Incredible!
How is this possible? Because God is in control!
2 Chron 20:20-21 "Early in the morning they left for the
Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and
said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have
faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have
faith in his prophets and you will be successful." After
consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to
the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness
as they went out at the head of the army, saying: "Give
thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever." NIV
Can you imagine facing a vast enemy army and instead of
spears and swords, you only have songs of praise? This
defies logic. Some would even say that this is ridiculous!
However, the fact remain that Jehosaphat and the inhabitants
of Judah were facing their enemies with only songs of
praise! "Can a song of praise defeat an army?" Let us find
out.
2 Chron 20:22-24 "As they began to sing and praise, the LORD
set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount
Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. The
men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount
Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished
slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one
another. When the men of Judah came to the place that
overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they
saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had
escaped." NIV
The whole enemy's army started to fight one another and kill
each other! None of them remained alive! Jehosaphat never
even lifted his sword! Are songs of praise effective?
Absolutely! They defeat vast armies!
Let's especially pay attention to the phrase: "As they began
to sing and praise". The cause of Judah's victory is given
to their songs of praise. Praising God invites Him into your
situation and chases the enemy away!
Are you facing huge problems? Are you facing monstrous
uncertainties? Is pain your companion? No matter your
situation, start praising God through songs of worship and
hand over your problems to Him. All your problems will be
placed in their right perspective and victory will be yours!
God will come and rescue you! Encouragement will replace
discouragement, peace will replace worries, relief will
replace pain. But most important of all, you will feel God's
Spirit dwell in you and feel his loving arms embrace you,
telling you that you are not alone in this, you have the
most powerful ally on your side: Jesus Christ and His
armies!
Jesus promised: Matt 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are
weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." NIV
Do you have burdens? Hand them over to Jesus. Do you have
worries? Hand them over to Jesus. Do you have
discouragements? Hand them over to Jesus by praising Him
through joyful singing. He will give you rest, my friends!
He is your Sabbath. He is the only one who can give you that
inner peace!
But let's finish the story: 2 Chron 20:25-26 "So Jehoshaphat
and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found
among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also
articles of value-more than they could take away. There was
so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. On
the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,
where they praised the LORD. This is why it is called the
Valley of Beracah to this day." NIV
Not only was Jehoshaphat victorious over his enemy, he was
blessed beyond imagination with their spoil! My friends,
your problems are insignificant when you hand them over to
God. Not only does He guarantee you victory, he also
guarantees you eternal blessings! Could there be a better
blessing than obtaining eternal life?-life without strive,
life without pain or suffering, life filled with love and
peace, life without death-this is what awaits you, my
friends! Praise be to God, our awesome God!
When it was all said and done, notice what Jehoshaphat and
his men did: 2 Chron 20:27 "Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all
the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to
Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over
their enemies." NIV
You can rejoice over your calamities as well. What do you
need to do? Just hand over your problems, your pains, your
uncertainties, your anxieties, your depression to Jesus, and
He will give you rest!
Will you invite Him in your life now? Will you try the
Praise Principle in your life? Try it. You will not be
disappointed!
Rob Chaffart
