Worship Is Warfare

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea. It is already in Hazezon Tamar” (that is, En Gedi).  Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah… Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly. He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.  Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.  You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.”  After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying: “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.  The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another. II Chronicles 20:1-3, 14-23 (NIV) (Emphasis mine)

What do we do when someone comes against us, especially for doing the right thing? Remember, it’s not flesh and blood coming against us, and our weapons are not of natural order. Obviously, we don’t go out and fight with the people involved. We must recognize it is the devil and his demons stirring up trouble. So, if we can’t retaliate in anger, what do we do?

This is a time to lift up a song to God and begin to worship Him. Praise and worship is a true spiritual weapon of the believer, releasing God to take care of our enemies. We don’t seek revenge, but we give any injustice or wrong to God. As we worship Him, He shows Himself as our Vindicator and Defender. He will deal with our enemies better than we can.

While we worship, God will fight for us. God can and will do a better job than we can. In the end, we will experience the justice of God, making wrong things right. Worship God in the midst of battle and see Him bring you through in victory. Worshippers are winners- every time.