Dr. Dave has been focusing on worship these past few weeks and we have realized that worship looks very different in the Bible than it does in most Sunday church services. If you want to know more about the descriptions of worship in the Bible, check out last week’s message. This week we find out what happens WHEN we worship.
Worship brings victory. Worship arms you to win on your best but more importantly, on your worst day. In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat was having the worst day of his reign, yet he experienced an amazing victory. He had multiple armies attacking all on the same day. As we study this scenario, we can see three schemes that the enemy uses against us.
- Distraction: You decide to go all in with God, but something keeps distracting you. You intend to come to a special service and something comes up at work. You make a decision to tithe, and your air conditioning goes out. Try to put God first and there will be distractions.
- Destruction: The enemy comes to kill your dreams and destroy your finances and marriage. His job description is to come to kill, steal, and destroy. How do you know if the enemy is coming at you? What used to work, no longer works. Things go from bad to worse.
- Discord: Nothing deals a death blow to faith like discord in a relationship. The enemy will strike your relationship through lies and the relationship starts breaking down. This impacts every other area of life. You feel like you're fighting everyone.
One attack or even two can be handled. But what happens when it comes from every direction? Fear comes in and burdens of care weigh heavy. Jehoshaphat was shaken as he faced what was coming his way. His head was spinning. But, he went to God for help and he ordered a nationwide fast. He resolved to seek the Lord. Take a step toward God and don’t let the enemy intimidate you. When your world is at war, worship is your weapon.
Remember, worry is bad use of your imagination. When you worry, your body goes through all the same processes as if whatever you were worried about actually happened. Worry causes pressure. Worship releases pressure. Don’t let Satan stop you from worshiping. Let worship displace worry. Worship is a weapon that you win with.
Worship refocuses your attention. Whatever has your attention governs how you think and what you do. Take your attention off the lies of the enemy. Worship puts your focus on the Problem Solver. In Psalm 34:3-4, we see that God delivered the psalmist from all his fears. How did that happen? He magnified the Lord. Magnification causes your view of something to get bigger. God is already bigger than all your fears and problems. As you magnify the Lord, your view of Him gets bigger and your problem gets smaller.
Worship reminds you of who’s in charge. In I Chronicles 20:15, God commanded, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” A.W. Tozer says “The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven’t yet come to the end of themselves. We’re still trying to give orders, and interfering with God’s work within us.” You're fatigued because you’re trying to fight a battle that belongs to God. Worship brings you to the end of yourself and to the beginning of God. When you worship, the moment you surrender is the moment you find victory.
Worship releases your faith. Jehoshaphat released the battle to God, even putting singers in front of the army, singing to the Lord and praising Him for His splendor. It was a very unusual way to organize an army. It’s good to worship in gratitude, thanking God for what He has done. But worshipping before you’ve seen the answer is bold faith. Worship before you see the answer.
Worship reverses the plans of the enemy. In vs 22, as they praised, the Lord sent ambushes. Jehoshaphat’s enemies were defeated.The minute you start to worship, God starts to move. God gets involved when we worship. The enemy is a liar. Worship is pure truth. You can praise your way out of deception, confusion, and discouragement! When worship goes up, God shows up and brings the victory.
Worship changes those around you. In Acts 16, Silas and Paul were shackled and locked up in the most inner part of the jail. But at midnight, they were praising and singing hymns to God. The ground shook, the prison doors opened, and chains fell off. The jailer realized the prisoners were all still there and exclaimed, “What must I do to be saved!” He and his family were saved and baptized right there and then. Paul and Silas worshiped in the most dire circumstances. The power of their worship bore tremendous fruit. People are watching you as you navigate your battles and life’s greatest challenges.
You can’t mess up using worship as a weapon. It doesn't matter if you don’t know the words or don’t play an instrument. If you’re declaring and worshiping, the effect is the same. When we worship things begin to CHANGE. When our hands go UP, the enemy is put down. When we RELEASE praise, the enemy retreats. When we LIFT up Jesus, He lifts us out of frustration and fear. When we DECLARE God’s goodness, His glory floods our situations. Worship is not something we lay aside when things go wrong, It's what we pick up to make things right. When your worship goes up, God shows up. When we worship, we win!
