How many times have you joyfully sung the chorus “We bring the sacrifice of praise…” and not really taken time to look at the words you have just sung?
Those lyrics come from the Bible: Hebrews 13:5, which says “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name (NIV).”
And how many times have you willed yourself to come to church, even though physically, mentally and/or emotionally it is the last thing you felt like doing on a Sunday morning? Perhaps what got you there was your call of duty – “the band needs me; I promised to make the coffee for after the morning service, etc…” Whatever the reason, I applaud you for getting yourself there. The last thing the devil wanted was for you to be in church.
But even though going to church may sometimes feel like a sacrifice in itself, the bible verse quoted above goes a step farther than that: “offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Praising God involves an utterance – it is not praise until it is vocalized! I am going to challenge you, on those Sundays when you least feel like doing it, to open your mouth and sing praises and utter prayers to God wholeheartedly, as an act of the will. And I am about to tell you why.
Although Hebrews 13:5 is a command to “continually” offer to God the sacrifice of praise, which obviously encompasses every day of the week; somehow the act of corporate praise magnifies the benefits which praise produces. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20, NIV). “But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel (Psalm 22:3, HNV).” “Judah [Judah means ‘praise’] became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion” (Psalm 114:2). How do we usher the presence of God into our services? By praising him, out loud! (See also what happened when Solomon and his people praised God in 2 Chronicles 5:13-14).
It doesn’t matter how well you sing. Thank goodness David wrote “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Psalm 98:1, KJV)! It just matters that you do it! Why? Because God deserves it (Psalm 96:4; 145:3; 2 Samuel 22:4; Revelation 4:11; 1 Chronicles 16:25); we are commanded to praise him (Philippians 4:4; Psalm 134:1-2; 113; 150); we were created to praise him (Isaiah 43:21; 1 Peter 2:9) and we are destined to praise him throughout eternity (Revelation 7:9-17).
But the greatest benefit of praise is that it is spiritual warfare. Do you want to silence the enemies of God? Then praise him! (Psalm 8:2). Do you want to be saved from spiritual oppression? Then praise him! (Psalm 18:3). Do you want to see demonic strongholds stumble and perish? Then praise him! (Psalm 9:2-3). Do you want God to bring justice to the nations of the earth? Then praise him! (Psalm 149:6-9).
It is no coincidence that Jehoshaphat put a choir ahead of his army, to lead them in praises as they went into battle, and that the result was a quick victory (2 Chronicles 20:21-25). It is no coincidence that Paul and Silas’s chains were broken after singing praises to God while in prison (Acts 16:23-26). And it is no coincidence that when God was asked which tribe should lead Israel into the battlefield, God consistently answered “Judah”, whose name meant “praise” (see Genesis 29:35; Judges 1:1-2 and 20:18).
Praising God is a choice. It is an act of the will, and an act of faith. It takes our eyes off of our circumstances and puts them onto the one who is greater than our circumstances. It is claiming the promises of Romans 8:28 that says “in all things God works for the good of those who love him,” and Psalm 89:15-18 which says “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence.”
And it is a slap in the face of the devil who knows that we cannot be defeated. In the movie “Casablanca” there is a scene in Rick’s Café where Victor Laszlo rises to sing the French resistance anthem in defiance of the Nazis who have entered the bar. Though he begins alone, slowly the other patrons rise to join in the singing. In viewing the solidarity of voices, the Nazis realize that although they may occupy the country physically, they can never own the souls of its inhabitants.
So next time you go to church, sing! Sing loudly! Sing every word in love to a God who first loved us. And discover firsthand the experience of the songwriter who wrote: “Praise the Lord! For the chains that seem to bind you serve only to remind you they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him.”*
* “Praise the Lord”, written by Brown Bannister and Mike Hudson. Copyright 1978 WORD Music.