Word for the Week Devo

2 Chronicles 20: 21-22
"When they began singing and praising,
the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir,
who had come against Judah; so they were routed."

Praise or prayer – or both?

There is great power in praising the LORD in place of petitioning Him for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Praising the LORD for the battle won is scriptural and encourages not only those prayed for, but also the prayer. Sylvia Gunther’s Prayer Portions divides the scriptures and identifies “Four Points About Praise As Warfare” (Prayer Portions):

It’s a spiritual battle – Ephesians 6:12 -“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Satan is judged – Psalm 149:6-9 - “Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”
Praise acknowledges the victory – Ephesians 1:20-21 -“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might, which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.”
We are the weapons – Jeremiah 51:20-23 -“He says, ‘You are my war-club, my weapon of war; and with you I shatter nations, and with you I destroy kingdoms. With you, I shatter the horse and rider, and with you, I shatter the chariot and its rider. ‘”

Sometimes we weary of praying and that is exactly what the enemy wants. We pray and we pray, and we seemingly see no change or good results. The prayer requests are burgeoning with illness, chronic disease, financial difficulty, worry for the future, worry for family members, for work, and sometimes just overall exhaustion and perplexity about God’s plan.

But the LORD knows differently. He sees the battles coming, and how they end, and we can trust His plan and His purpose.

My absolute favorite battle passage is 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 when Jehoshaphat and the people were fearful ahead of battle and Jehoshaphat went aside to pray. The LORD told him they were saved, so Jehoshaphat put his choir ahead of the frontline of soldiers. The scripture says that when they began praising the LORD, the LORD set ambushes against the enemy, and routed them.

We see this throughout the Bible, in both the Old Testament and the new.

2 Chronicles 20:21-22 – the Israelites praised God before they went into battlefront - When he (Jehoshaphat) had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against the sons of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.
Acts 16:25-26 – Paul and Silas were singing praises before the prison gates flew open - But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praised to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
Joshua 5:15-6:2 – Joshua praised God for delivering Jericho before the victory - The captain of the LORD’s host said to Joshua, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy” and Joshua did so. Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.
Judges 7:15 – Gideon worshiped God before the battle - When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”

Often the real prayer is for endurance instead of for an answer, and generally the only way I can endure is to praise the LORD in the moment. Either way the LORD hears and interprets our prayers – whether they be praise or petition.

Of course there’s no reason you can’t do both.

Be blessed.

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Prayer Portions, Sylvia Gunther (1991), Praise as Warfare, pp.8-10