Our God is worthy of praise! So often we fail to give Him the glory due His Name. When faced with circumstances of life, it is easy to get into a negative mindset. I believe that when we complain and continually make negative statements, we are in effect praising the wrong person—we are praising our enemy, rather than Almighty God who is so deserving of our praise and adoration.
2 Chronicles 20 contains an account which illustrates what God will do in response to our praise. King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah were about to be attacked by a massive army. The Bible states in verse three that Jehoshaphat feared. No glossing over of his emotions—He was afraid. Verse three continues with the statement that he set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. It is obvious the king believed that the only way to obtain victory was by seeking the Lord. We can look at his prayer as a model for the way we are to seek God during times of crisis.
The king acknowledged that God is all powerful: You are God; You have all power; no one is able to stand against You (v. 6). He acknowledged that he and his people were weak and could not obtain the victory: We have no strength and we don’t know what to do (v. 12). He then affirmed that they were looking to God for the answer: Our eyes are upon You (v. 12).
How did God respond? Don’t be afraid; don’t be dismayed; the battle is not yours, but God’s (v. 15). In other words, you are looking to the right One; I will help you; you have no need to fear. And He said, Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you (v. 17).
I like the way the people responded. They did not doubt what God said. They did not make statements of fear, wondering if God would really do what He said He would. They bowed and worshipped Him (v. 18). And then they followed God’s instructions. He had told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. They did not put their warriors in front to fight the battle. The king put singers in front to praise the Lord!
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. (v. 21)
In this verse, the Hebrew for the word translated praise is yadah which means to acknowledge in public. The same word is used in Psalm 138:1, I will praise thee with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. It has the root meaning of “the extended hand” or “to throw out the hand,” and implies worship with raised hands. The people of Judah publicly acknowledged their dependence, not on their warriors, but on God.
And the result was that the Lord defeated their enemies for them, just as He said He would do: And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten (v. 22).
I am convinced that when we acknowledge God for who He is, when we proclaim His power, when we praise and worship Him, He will fight our battles. Let us stop believing that our problems have the power to destroy us. Our problems are small when compared to our mighty God. Let us see them as opportunities for God to move on our behalf! No matter what you are facing, praise the Lord! When we don’t feel like praising Him is probably when we most need to do it. Offer a sacrifice of praise and watch God perform miracles in your life!
Scriptures for Reflection
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15)
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalm 34:1)
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