Sing Praise!

At breakfast this morning Tom told me about the book he is reading, a thriller in which the powers of evil are overcome when songs of pure worship and praise are offered to the Lord.

There is scriptural precedence for this. 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 tells of the dire circumstances facing the people of Judah when armies from three nations joined together and attacked them. King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast and sought the Lord. He ended his prayer with these words, "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 on you" (12). We read in verse 17 that they were told, "Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you." The next morning "Jehosaphat 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.' 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" (21-22). It is a marvelous passage which have blessed me again and again the last couple of years. I encourage you to take some time to read and meditate on the promises and presence of God in these verses.

When we sing, and especially when we praise, we are focusing on God. All our problems, no matter how overwhelming, lose their hold on us as we shift our focus to God Himself. We sing praises to God because He is worthy. And when we praise, our faith is strengthened; our hearts are encouraged; joy replaces fear.

The other day on a radio call-in show, the host asked a caller how she got through a very difficult period of her life. "I sang songs of praise," she responded. You can listen to Russ Taft sing about the power of praise in his song, Praise the Lord.

May your day be filled with songs of praise!