By Sister Valerie Miller
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. ~ 2 Chronicles 20:21
The Holiness Tabernacle Church Of God In Christ Annual Music Weekend began on Friday September 19th with the theme The Battle of the Praises. We kicked off this wonderful event with "an elegant evening of dinner and fellowship" as noted by our own Sister Karissa Jett.
Sister Jett continued, “The atmosphere was set for an evening of relaxation and appreciation.” This was a great beginning to a weekend that illuminated the true purpose and role we have as members of the music department. Our role as singers and musicians should not be taken lightly. Our gifts and talents should be used for God’s glory and to give Him all the praise that only He is deserving of. Our Minister of Music, Aspiring Missionary Yolinda McCown, let us know that we were appreciated and gave encouraging words to help us continue to move forward in unity with praise for God.
The festivities continued on Saturday morning with nine workshops continuing in our theme, coming from 2 Chronicles 20:1-26. These workshops further supported the necessity of praise, not only for the music department, but for every believer.
Praise is our ultimate weapon against the enemy. The story in 2 Chronicles 20 tells of a problem that King Jehoshaphat faced that seemed impossible.
King Jehoshaphat learned that a great army was heading his way. They were armed and ready for battle. In the physical, they were bigger and had weaponry that was greater than what Judah had. The situation seemed hopeless and it caused the king and the Israelites to become fearful because they didn’t see a way out.
Jehoshaphat and the Israelites were fearful but the king immediately decided to seek God. He DID NOT go up against the army and then seek God. He sought God FIRST. Fear is natural. But how do you react when you feel the fear? We learned we have three choices: fight, flight, or freeze. Every situation is different and can call for different reactions. Sometimes you need to ‘Fight’ (2 Tim 4:7, Joshua 9:2), sometimes you need to ‘Flight’ or run (2 Sam 22:30, Psalm 18:29) and sometimes you need to ‘Freeze’ or stand still (Exodus 14:14). The reaction is not as important as remembering to first seek God.
Once Jehoshaphat decided to seek God, he began to remember what God had done for him in the past. He remembered that God had kept every promise and made a way for them. God had delivered them from the hands of their enemies many, many times before. He knew that if God did it before he could and would do it again.
Now that the king had built up his confidence in God, he didn’t get overconfident or full of himself. But this is just the time that he surrendered ALL to God. He humbled himself even more and admitted to God and all of Judah that there was nothing he himself could do. He didn’t know what to do, he was helpless and powerless. Society looks at helplessness and powerlessness as weakness. But we know that in God this is not true, for 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” It is in our vulnerability or our weakness, when we can admit to God and to ourselves that we don’t have the answer or we can’t fix it, that God will get the glory. You cannot overcome without God.
It was after Jehoshaphat sought God that God moved. He chose a true worshipper as His vehicle to tell the Israelites not to be afraid. The battle is not yours it belongs to God. When you finally realize that you and your situation is in God’s hands, you can have His perfect peace in any situation. As Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us who can be against us?”
Jehoshaphat and the Israelites now knew that they had God on their side. They were ready to prepare for battle. Their first preparation was to offer praises to God. This is unconventional to many, but to the believer it is not only essential to preparation, but it is what will trigger the power of God. Their praise was so great that the enemy began to turn on each other. Their praise brought confusion in the camp of their enemy.
“Praise is the activator or a heat seeking missile that never misses and is necessary for the power of God to work in our lives,” declared Elder Eugene McCown. “It is a pre-emptive strike against the enemy and is essential for worshipping God for what He is going to do for us.”
When the Israelites arrived at the battlefield they found their enemies destroyed. All were dead – there were no survivors. This was a great victory indeed. But that wasn’t all that God had done for them. The spoils they collected from the enemy were so great it took them three days to carry it all away. If we learn to fight God’s way and stop trying to fix it on our own we can enjoy what God has for us.
Even after the battle was over, Jehoshaphat and Judah rejoiced and praised God. Praise and worship after the battle is just as essential as it is before or during. We need to remember to give God the glory at all times. Even when we have overcome a situation in our lives, we must remember to praise and worship God for the victory.
Our workshop ended with the music department writing down some of our own personal battles we are facing in our lives. We laid them on the altar, surrendering the problem, situation or circumstance over to God. We then offered great praise to our GREAT GOD for He alone can deliver us.
Our Battle of the Praises Musical began later that afternoon. The praise team invoked the presence of God with songs “Chasing After You,” “Bless The Lord,” and “Yahweh.” This was followed with an Open Mic – where everyone was invited to come to the mic to praise God. Several individuals offered songs of worship, including Pastor Eddie B Pruitte, Jr., who sang ‘To God Be the Glory.’ Reconciliation Church Of God In Christ joined in the celebration and Sister Kellie Seals led the congregation in ‘Praise God.’
Throughout the weekend we not only learned but witnessed the power of God through praise. The words of our very own Pastor Pruitte summed it up best: Praise should draw you. You should seek to be an active participant in praise to God.