“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." ◄ Psalm 100:4 (NIV)
With Jesus' joy, I welcome you to the last few hours of November 2021. All through this month, we have been on a series titled Engaging the Wonders of Thanksgiving, and as we conclude the series, I'd like to re-echo that God does work wonders through praise!
2 Chronicles 20 has the account of what is perhaps the most compelling demonstration of the power of praise in the Bible. It is the story of King Jehoshaphat & the miraculous musical rescue. Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, served the Lord with all his heart. During his reign, idol worship was abolished and the people's hearts turned to the Lord. One day, the nation of Judah awoke to news of the enemy invasion. Reports of the threat spread quickly, igniting feelings of panic. Knowing that his tiny army didn’t stand a chance against such a monumental force, King Jehoshaphat recognized that no enemy was stronger than God and his humble response is what ultimately secured their victory. He led a national prayer in front of the Temple in Jerusalem and God responded quickly, assuring them of victory without the army having to fight.
The next morning, as the army of Judah marched out to battle, King Jehoshaphat made his appointed singers walk in front of the army, praising God for His holy splendor. As the first notes of their song rang out across the countryside, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir. By the time the army of Judah reached the enemy camp, their dead bodies were littered everywhere - not a single enemy troop had survived Judah's Praise arsenal.
This Bible account shows us what to do to claim victory over our dark enemies. Agreed, not many of us find ourselves on a literal battlefield but regardless of what battle we are faced with, the strategy that will ensure our victory is the same so, as I sign off on this series, my prayer for us all is that like King Jehoshaphat, when we are faced with impossible situations, rather than fret and worry, we can let God handle the worrying and fighting by becoming Singing Soldiers.
Sing praises to God, sing praises! (Psalm 47:6)
Ade Adekunle
State Pastor