Faith Expressed By Praise
The account of Jehoshaphat's prayer and the great victory God sent has always been a blessing to me. It shows a different reason for praising the Lord than the one we normally think about. God loves our praise, and His Word commands us to praise Him many times. It is a way to exalt God and worship Him for who He is. However, this account shows us the connection of praise and faith. (II Chronicles 20:22) Let's consider what Jehoshaphat did.
When the king prayed, God answered that they would not even have to fight the multitude to win the battle. This led Jehoshaphat to put the choir in front of the army to sing praises, as they marched toward the enemy. When they began to sing and praise the Lord, God routed their enemies. They did win without fighting. The praise was a big factor, though. By the choir praising God at the front they were showing their faith in what God had said. They were acting on God's revelation, because they believed His word to them. That is how faith works, and praise can be a way of expressing our faith. We can show the Lord we are expecting the answer to come to pass which He gave us. This took real faith in Jehoshaphat's day, and it can be our way of expressing real faith today, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 22-24.
When the king prayed, God answered that they would not even have to fight the multitude to win the battle. This led Jehoshaphat to put the choir in front of the army to sing praises, as they marched toward the enemy. When they began to sing and praise the Lord, God routed their enemies. They did win without fighting. The praise was a big factor, though. By the choir praising God at the front they were showing their faith in what God had said. They were acting on God's revelation, because they believed His word to them. That is how faith works, and praise can be a way of expressing our faith. We can show the Lord we are expecting the answer to come to pass which He gave us. This took real faith in Jehoshaphat's day, and it can be our way of expressing real faith today, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Chronicles 22-24.