P.O.W.E.R.

Photo by Chaiwat

If you need the power of God in your life, there is one part of our personal trinity that cannot be neglected, and that’s praise.  Here’s an acronym that I made up this morning:

For P.O.W.E.R. you need:

Praise Oriented Worship Experienced Regularly

The Psalms are full of praise – why do you think David was a man after God’s own heart?  There was hardly another man with more of the power of God in his life than David.  Let’s look at something this one really gets to me:

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might, clad in a linen ephad.  So David and all the house of Isreal brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. (2 Samuel 6:14-15)

And though so many of God’s people joined in the celebration and blessing, one person disapproved: his wife, Michal.

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel.  Therefore I will play music before the Lord.  And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” (2 Samuel  6:21-22)

There’s a David Crowder band that takes David’s response and made it into a song “Undignified.”  But this is the kind of Praise that God is looking for.  He wants us to be so free in our Love for Him that we would be willing to look undignified.  And although all of Israel was blessed by David’s praising and shouting, Michal, his wife, died barren.  Whether that’s because David refused to touch her or if God closed her womb, who knows?

I’m so excited about this topic, and I don’t know if you can tell.  But here’s another big revelation of Praise’s power:

So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets.  And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat.  Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (Joshua 6:20)

Trumpets blowing, God’s people shouting = praising!   And what kind of power was held in that praise?  The power to tear down walls!

Sometimes there is this great connection with prayer, praise and power.  When King Jehoshaphat was surrounded by an army that greatly outnumbered him, he tapped into God’s awesome power with prayer and praise.  He prayed to God, and this is what God answered:

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.  And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshipping the Lord.  (2 Chronicles 20:17-18 NKJV)

So what is our battle plan?  The enemy is before us and he’s tempting us again.  Do we try to fight him first and then turn to the Lord?  King Jehoshaphat didn’t even try to do it without turning toward the Lord.  In verse 20:3, He proclaimed a fast throughout all Judea, and sought the Lord, FIRST.

First Step: Pray.  Take it to God in prayer.  Declare to Him that you see and understand your weakness, and that if He doesn’t fight the battle for you, then you will fail.  Give it up to Him, every part, and don’t try to do what you can do.  Give all of it up to His strength.

Second Step: Position yourself and Stand Still.  Again, do not try to do anything.  Do not fight what you can.  Do not try this or that to remedy the situation.  And do not distract yourself with something else – or the “something else” might become a golden calf.  Stand still, pray, and wait.

Third Step:  Do Not Fear!  Trust God.  The enemy may seem strong, but the Lord is there with you, and He is stronger.  All you have to do is trust Him, and lean upon Him.

Last Step: Worship Him. 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. (2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV)

Take Note!  They didn’t wait until they saw victory before praising Him.  The victory came when they began to praise Him!  Worship and Trust, we can hardly have one without the other.  True worship can only come when we believe and trust God.  And when we believe and trust God, worship will naturally flow from our hearts.

When the battle is too much for you, do not surrender to the enemy, surrender to God.  He will give you the strength you need to withstand the forces against you.  Trust Him, and He will give you reason to praise Him.  For contained within that praise is the power to trust Him and to make a change in your life.