A STORY OF PRAISE
Music and worship has always been an integral part of my life. I joined the church choir as a teenager and continued to be part of worship teams throughout my entire adult life. There was something powerful that happened even during rehearsals. The repetitive exercises worked to engrain melodic notes and memorized lyrics into our brains and hearts. And by the time we hit the platform on Sunday mornings, it all came together as one voice of praise to the King. Our choir was a team, a family even, within the larger body of believers we called our church. I loved being part of it.
But the whole worship experience got even better for me personally when our two sons began to take the lead. God anointed their musical talents while creating new songs of praise and thanksgiving through them. More times than not, I was overwhelmed with the creative power of their music. Humbled that He would use my sons to usher a congregation into His presence. And grateful beyond words that God was imparting this creative gift for our sons to share with the Church at large. Eventually, our Worship and Creative Ministries burst forth from our local church to touch lives around the world. Only God could have done that. It was a season of life I still treasure to this day.
This week we are going to take a look at a special choir in the Old Testament. It’s one of my favorite Bible stories. If I’m quite honest, I probably would have preferred not to join this group of singers. They had a pretty daunting task before them, but what happened as a result of their song of praise is an outright miracle of God. I hope this story speaks volumes to you about the power of music and worship. It’s part of our journey in cultivating a thankful heart.
I’m going to ask you to read 30 verses this week in order to get the whole picture of this story. You might want to take a few verses every day as you answer the questions below. I want us to understand the problem a nation faced, the response of the people, the obedience of a leader, and the victory that praise brought about. So get set for a story you won’t want to put down. I promise.
Read 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 in two or more versions of the Bible. Then begin to answer the following questions in your notebook. I hope you will share your insights on the comment section of our Facebook page. For those of you who aren’t Facebook users, you can get the study through my Kingdommom website and reply there. Either way, we learn from each other as we post our answers and application of scripture to our everyday lives. That’s the point of this study!
From 2 Chronicles 20:1-30
1 a. As you read through verses 1-9, what was the problem King Jehoshaphat faced and how did he respond? In what ways did he present his petition with praise and thanksgiving?
b. What was his request in verses 10-12 ? What part of verse 12 might be good to remember when faced with our own uncertainty?
2 a. Who did the Spirit of the Lord come upon and what did he say to the people, from verses 14-17? Which of these promises could we apply to our lives today?
b. What did praise look like in verses 18-19. Take note that there are many ways to offer praise to God. How are you most comfortable?
3 a. How does Jehoshaphat challenge the people in verse 20? To what might believing in prophets refer today?
b. In verse 21, what appointment did the king make? What specifically were they to wear, do and say? Perhaps these lyrics would be good for us to speak or sing in the midst of our own battle.
4 a. What was the result of their song from verses 22-25? Who destroyed who? How long did it take them to pick up the plunder from battle?
b. In verses 26-27, what did Jehoshaphat and all the men of Judah and Jerusalem do next? What is the reason given for their jubilation?
5 a. How did this victory effect the surrounding nations in verse 29? How might our testimony of victory effect those around us?
b. What resulted from all the thanksgiving and praise in verse 30? Do you see how this relates back to the verse in Philippians 4:6-7 from our previous lesson?
When have you felt a vast army coming against you? Have you experienced your own Valley of Berakah? Tell us how praise helped fight your battle. What part of this story challenges or encourages you?
Praise truly is a weapon of our spiritual warfare. May the Lord help us to remember the power of a thankful heart in every situation we encounter!
I loved this lesson so much – Prayer and Fasting is a very important part of my life in the LORD – Praise for all the things HE has done for me in my life and the lives of my friends – I belong to several Prayer groups on FB and it is so wonderful to be blessed to pray for people you do not know personally – but to just know there are prayer warriors all around.
1.a. Fast and Pray and Praise HIM for the answers coming along the road.
1.b. Keep your eyes on the LORD and HE also keeps HIS eyes on you each step of the way.
2.a. The battle is not yours – you give it to the LORD for his handling – that is so wonderful to know he is always looking out for you.
2.b. Worship the LORD is always a wonderful thing for us to do all day long – Walking a mile each morning is a wonderful time to just Praise and Worship HIM – the early morning clouds are so beautiful and the rising of the sun – just remember HE did all of this for us to view.
3.a. BELIEVE – it is just wonderful to be a Believer of the LORD
3.b. Singers – praising the LORD at all times – the beauty of Holiness – always PRAISING THE LORD
4.a. GOD FOUGHT THE BATTLE for them and HE is always there to fight our battles also – such a wonderful thing to remember in our daily lives
4.b. They were Blessed in their lives each day and we are to Rejoice over our Enemies – GOD is so good all the time
5.a. Learning the Fear of GOD – let us show everybody we meet that we are a child of GOD
5.b. NOW they could REST IN THE LORD – the battle is won by the LORD and it is resting time in the LORD – such a wonderful time with HIM in our lives – GOD is always on the throne yet in each one of our lives.
BELIEVE – PRAISE – THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES – BECAUSE HE IS THE REASON WE HAVE THINGS AND LOVE – I just want to show HIS LOVE to all around me – GOD IS SO GOOD ALL THE TIME.
6.a. THANKS KAREN FOR A WONDERFUL WORSHIP TIME IN THE LORD – ENJOYED IT SO MUCH.
Odella, once again you have taken the truths of this scripture passage and applied it so beautifully to your life. I can just imagine you walking every day in that beautiful Florida sunshine praising God along the way. You are taking note of the blessings of God all around you. That keeps us close to Him and reminds us of His goodness. What a reason to praise Him I especially liked your comment about God fighting our battles as we keep our eyes on Him. That’s a good habit to form because the cares of this life do choke out His Word and keep us distracted from gazing upon the beauty of the Lord. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to more interaction on this lesson.