How to Overcome (Part 1) — Amanda Conquers

“The praise of God shall be on my lips and with my praise shall I overcome.”

I said it last week in My Proclamation.

And somehow I just know that’s exactly how I fight the depression, the fear, the confusion that I have been facing.

Praise is that upside-down, it-doesn’t-make-human-sense action, but for some reason the God whose ways are far above our own chooses to use it.

Praise demolished the walls of Jericho. The praise of 200 men defeated the army of Midian. The praise of Paul and Silas brought down the jail house. The praise of King Jehoshaphat and the people of Jerusalem destroyed the armies of Moab and Ammon.

I want to focus a little on Jehoshaphat. I’ve been thinking on this story for the past week.

Jehoshaphat hears the reports of a vast and quickly approaching army with the power to crush his small and unprepared military. He immediately calls for a fast and gathers the people of Jerusalem together. Then he cries out to God.

“If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.” 2 Chronicles 20:9

God answers through Jahaziel that they would go out and face the enemy, but they would not have to fight. After that word, Jehoshaphat falls on his face and worships God and the whole congregation with him.

The next morning, Jehoshaphat sets the instruments and the worshipers in front of the army. They offer up their praises with a loud voice. As they praise, the armies of Moab and Ammon become confused and fight each other… until every single foe is dead.

Judah won the battle by their praise.

They cried out. They worshiped. And then they marched out to battle. Rather than keeping the reality of their enemy’s greatness in front of them, they placed their praises in front of them. They placed the words of God's greatness before them. They trusted God’s outcome. They surrendered their try-hard fight to the welling up of something deep inside of them… something deeper than their fears: hope in a mighty God.

I think of the old cartoon version of the movie, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. How at the moment the Grinch thought he had won, thought he had stolen Christmas, thought he had smothered joy, he begins to hear the sound of a Who-chorus. They were singing even though a thief had come to steal their Christmas spirit. And it totally confuses the Grinch. And it totally shatters the shell of his cold, hard heart.

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Praise takes back what the enemy steals. Praise reminds the enemy of what he cannot have.

Some days life can strip you bare. Some days the enemy seems to win. But he cannot keep you from praising.

Whether you feel like a teetering Jenga tower with strong-willed children who seem to take turns pulling out your blocks till you feel like your grace and love are about to crumble…

Whether a life-changing circumstance has placed you in a dry land where the springs of peace seem to elude you…

Whether depression seems to be a weight around your neck that pulls you down into an abyss no matter how you fight…

Praise.

PRAISE.

Praise confuses the enemy who seeks to devour. Praise makes the way for our Savior to swoop in and save the day. Praise denies what we see and fully relies on the One who can’t be seen.

Praise.

You are the Prince of Peace. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. You are worthy of praise. You are good. You are Holy. I love you. I long for You like a desert wanderer longs for water. Only You truly satisfy my soul. You are the God who loves me, adopted me, calls me your own. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You sent Your son to die for me, to conquer death and hell. I am bound by sin no longer. I am washed clean from the stain of guilt. Depression and fear have nothing on You. You give joy and peace. You give good gifts and I thank you for the good gifts You have given me.

Okay. So seriously. Go get your praise on. Maybe write some here so it can encourage all of us—one mighty band of brothers and sisters praising God in one place?? Sounds cool to me! :)

I will be back with part two of "How to Overcome" on Thursday. I’m kind of excited about it.

By Grace,

Amanda Conquers

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