Let us, through His Word, “look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.” Our God is worthy to be praised, and He has given us all we need for victory in His Word and by His Spirit. I hesitate to write about this, as I am so deficient in this area. I do praise Him, and pray, but I need to do it so much more, and more fervently and effectively! So please let me write this for me, as well as for you.
We are living in a time that makes us call out for His help but also to wonder if we are to passively wait, or do both—wait on God, and somehow actively participate in spiritual warfare. Let us do as David did when He had been brought so low at Ziklag. (I Samuel 30:8) He “encouraged himself in the Lord his God” and “recovered all” from the enemy.
When naming our three worst enemies or problems, we might name the virus, the mess this country is in, then our own worst personal problem. I say three, because of the account of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, who had three armies coming to attack his kingdom of Judah.
Though Jehoshaphat “was afraid, he set his face to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah,” at which point “Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” I guess this would be a good place to say that we in America, all who claim the name of Christ as their Saviour, need to seek the Lord.
Jehoshaphat stood before the assembly in the temple and prayed earnestly to God. He praised God, reminded Him of the Covenant they had with Him and of His previous promises, and told the Lord why these enemies had no right to come against them. He finished with, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
As they all stood there, “the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel,” a descendant of Asaph, a worship leader and writer of some of the Psalms, who told them not to be afraid, as “the battle is not yours but God’s.” The king and all the people, bowed or “fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.” Also, the Levites “stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.”
The next morning Jehoshaphat told his men to “Believe in the LORD your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.” He appointed singers and musicians, dressed in holy attire, to go before the army and say, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His steadfast love endures forever.” When they did this, the enemy armies destroyed each other, leaving so many valuables that it took the people of Judah three days to gather it all up. They returned to Jerusalem “with joy, for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies.” Playing harps and lyres and trumpets, they came into the house of the LORD.
Charles Trombley, in his book “Praise, Faith in Action!” makes note of the fact that all seven Hebrew ways of praising were used in the above account!
Hallal – to praise, to boast, to rave, celebrate, to be clamorously foolish. Our word Hallelujah comes from this root.
Yadah – to worship with extended hand, to lift the hands.
Towdah – similar to yadah but more specific, as an extension of the hand in adoration or acceptance, as in thanking God for things not yet received, as well as things already at hand
Shabach – to shout, in a loud tone, to command, to triumph
Barak – to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration, to salute.
Zamar – to pluck the strings of an instrument, to sing, to praise
Tehillah – singing of halals, to sing, to laud; hymns of the Spirit or praise.
Also note, for fighting in the heavenlies, “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Thou hast ordained strength, because of thine enemies, that Thou mightiest still the enemy and the avenger.” Jesus quoted this verse from Psalm 8:2, but replaced “ordained strength” with the words “perfected praise.” Matthew 21:16.
Psalm 149 gives us, His saints, the honor of bringing about justice by spiritual means. “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all His saints, Praise ye the LORD.”
In the New Testament, Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail praised God (loudly), though they had been beaten and were in an extremely uncomfortable situation. God saved them with an earthquake! (Acts 16:25-40)
The prophet Elijah is spoken of in James 5:16, “The effective, [fervent, KJV] prayer of a righteous person has great power.” (ESV) What does fervent mean? Most of our prayers are either spoken in our minds, or whispered, or even spoken in a regular tone of voice. What about all those scriptures that speak of calling out, or crying out to the Lord?
I learned from Bill Gothard’s small book The Power of Crying Out that the Hebrew word QARA means calling aloud or crying out, and the internet definition added to utter a loud sound. This word qara is used in Jeremiah 33:3, which promises, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Also see Psalm 50:15 and 145:18.)
As I look in this little book again, I see more Hebrew words that denote different levels of crying out. “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17, “HAMAH, with the connotation of a loud humming or murmuring—even to a growl or roar.”) In my distress, I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” (Psalm 18:6, “SHAVA, connoting a higher-pitched shout for help.” Also see Psalm 7:15)
Also quoting Gothard, “An actual shriek, as if in grief, is the root meaning of the word TSA’AQ, which David uses in these lines: ‘The righteous cry out and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.’ And a ringing or shrill sound is conveyed in the word RINNAH, which David chose to loudly plead, ‘Hear my cry, O God.’” (Psalm 34:17; 61:1)
I realize this is “heavy,” but we must seek the LORD while He may be found; and, as it is getting darker, we must work for Him while there is still some light in the world. Let us cry out to Him in praise and prayers both. He cares for us!
Live for Jesus! He’s coming soon!
