Introduction
Holy Spirit gave my friend, Chuck Pierce, a very important prophetic word this past weekend. It refers to a seven-day window and an assignment, running from this past Monday through this upcoming Sunday (Nov. 10-16). During this week-long window, the Lord is asking us to release praise to Him three times a day on behalf of our nation. The seven days have obviously already begun, but you can still participate. Please do so, perhaps even adding a few days, so that you also do a total of seven days. God will certainly honor that. You can find Chuck’s prophetic word and my explanation in yesterday’s post. For today and tomorrow, I would like to discuss why we praise the Lord and why God asks us to do so. Our title is:
Why Our Praise Is a Weapon
Elevators are convenient. . . and sometimes awkward. Who in their right mind likes being in an elevator with people they don’t know? The longer the ride, the louder the silence. Several years ago, I was trapped in the back of one of those torture chambers in the airport of one of the vacation capitals of the world - Orlando, Florida. There were only about a HUNDRED people in this elevator! Who hasn’t heard of Disney World, Epcot, and other hot spots there? And based on the lines at these tourist attractions, every person in the world has been there! Consequently, the airport is crowded and hectic. When the elevator stopped at my floor and the door opened, no one moved. After a couple of seconds, thinking no one else was getting off at this level, I spoke up rather urgently from the back, “Excuse me, I need to get off here.”
You’d have thought I asked for everyone’s phone number! Backs stiffened, heads turned, eyes glared, and the man closest to the door turned and - in a most condescending tone - scolded me. “Be patient,” he snarled. “I’m just trying to be a gentleman and let the ladies off first.” After we all exited, one of the ladies with him turned to me and, rather snootily, decided to become my therapist: “You need a vacation, sir. We are in Orlando; why don’t you take a few days off and chill?”
I was tired, and perhaps this had caused me to unintentionally speak louder than I realized. Or maybe my urgency sounded like impatience. What did I do? Being the godly man that I am, I took it on the chin and calmly moved on - WITH MY BLOOD PRESSURE ELEVATED AND MY INNER THOUGHTS EXPLAINING TO THEM WHAT IDIOTS THEY WERE! And being the spiritual giant I am, within a few short weeks, I had forgiven them - as you can tell! - and moved on.
Doesn’t take me long!
Most of us dislike being misunderstood and misjudged - especially in an elevator! I don’t think God likes it either, and He is, without doubt, the most misunderstood person in existence. Perceived as distant, He is often ignored. Considered judgmental and legalistic, He is thought by some to be intimidating and one to steer clear of. And mistakenly thought of by His children as one who likes hearing how great He is, He is praised.
LOL - I had you, then I lost you.
Before you stop reading or listening, hear me out. Obviously, praising and worshiping God is a good and appropriate thing to do. It’s our reason for doing so that needs some tweaking. Yahweh isn’t narcissistic, needing to be told how wonderful He is in order to satisfy an inflated ego. Nor is He insecure, needing to be reassured that He really is awesome. He doesn’t show off - praise doesn’t stimulate some macho corner of His heart, motivating Him to action in order to demonstrate His power. And He can’t be bought - our worship doesn’t cause Him to “reward” us with His presence and power simply because we made Him feel good. Frankly, God neither needs nor desires to be told how great, unique, powerful, or loving He is. The Almighty is quite confident and very secure.
He does, however, seek worshipers.
The difference is huge - immeasurably so. We ARE the worship. God longs for the singer, not the song. Our hearts are what transforms singing into worship, not the words and music. God would rather have a love-filled glance from our eyes than a song parroted from our lips. We can, in fact, worship without even opening our mouths.
Enoch was translated to heaven without experiencing death. Why? He brought pleasure to God (Hebrews 11:5) by walking with God (Genesis 5:24). Notice that God uses the word “walking,” not “worshipping.” His worship was released - not just with words - but through his actions and his life. I’m certainly not downplaying the incredible importance of music and singing. I’m simply pointing out what makes these actions worship.
When my kids were young and anxiously waited for Daddy to come home from work, they didn’t meet me at the door with a song. They jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug.
When God created us, He made kids, not a choir; family members, not church members; He’s into love, not liturgy. And it wasn’t His “lording” nature that prompted Him to create us - He could have made a few billion more angels had that been His desire. It was His loving nature. God is a father at heart.
Jesus, who came to earth to reveal to us what God is truly like (John 1:18), gave a profound glimpse of Abba’s loving and relational heart through an encounter with a rather loose-living woman. Looking for love in all the wrong places, this five-time divorced, currently shacked-up societal outcast was about to meet a man who wanted her heart, not her body.
Christ told her He knew her lifestyle, yet His actions proved He wasn’t condemning her. He had assured her that He could satisfy her thirsty heart by placing a well of salvation in her. He shifted the concept of worship from the place to the person, which was a radical paradigm shift in her day. I’m sure she had never thought about this, and certainly not that God was actually seeking worshipers. “He’d like you to be one” was the obvious invitation.
She was hooked. That God might actually be seeking her companionship, not her body, was beyond this woman’s wildest dreams. How could He possibly want her? But He did. In one moment, her shame was broken, and joy filled her heart. It feels good to be wanted for the right reasons. This new worshiper was so excited that she ran and told her village about Jesus, and ultimately, the entire community came to believe in Him.
Jesus was too excited to eat!
The great psalm of praise, Psalm 149, tells us that as we praise God, the sword of the Lord is released against His enemies, those who oppose His rule (verses 6-9). However, one of the preceding verses (v. 4) tells us why: “the Lord takes pleasure in His people!” The reason our praise is a weapon against evil is because our all-powerful God responds by showing up! Our relational God, Abba, is moved by our affection - He desires our company. That is what attracts Him to praise, not His ego. Our Father inhabits our praise (Psalm 22:3) because He loves spending time with us.
Let’s make the great 149th Psalm our prayer and decree today.
Pray Psalm 149 (TPT) with me today:
Triumphant Praise
“Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! It’s time to sing to God a brand-new song so that all His holy people will hear how wonderful He is! May Israel be enthused with joy because of Him, and may the sons of Zion pour out their joyful praises to their King. Break forth with dancing! Make music and sing God’s praises with the rhythm of drums! For He enjoys His faithful lovers.
“He adorns the humble with His beauty, and He loves to give them victory. His godly lovers triumph in the glory of God, and their joyful praises will rise even while others sleep. God’s high and holy praises fill their mouths, for their shouted praises are their weapons of war! These warring weapons will bring vengeance on the nations and every resistant power— to bind kings with chains and rulers with iron shackles.
“Praise-filled warriors will enforce the judgment decreed against their enemies. This is the honor He gives to all His godly lovers. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”