“The battle is the Lord’s, but God says you’re going to have a part. What was Jehoshaphat’s part in 2 Chronicles 20? Praise. God says, ‘The battle is mine, but I’m not going to do one thing until you praise.’ What if they said, ‘Well, Lord, as soon as You give us the victory, we’re going to sing’? God says, ‘No, I’m not going to give you any victory until you start singing.’ Are you willing to praise God during your problems? Can you praise in the face of your enemy when you don’t have anything but the promise of God? He says, ‘I will not leave you or forsake you. The battle is not yours; it’s Mine.’ Now get out there and praise the Lord!

You see, a lack of praise is really unbelief. The Bible teaches that when we praise the Lord, we’re really expressing faith in God. Prayer and praise go together. Prayer and praise are the two wings of spiritual power. Prayer infuses us with the energy of God, and praise confuses the enemies of God. The devil is allergic to praise. When we praise God, He sends confusion into the camp of our enemies” (Dr. Adrian Rogers).

There’s something powerful about declaring God’s goodness out loud. There’s something even more powerful when you can sing the love and mercy of God. It’s not about perfect pitch but a premeditated confidence that God is able. It’s not about hitting all the notes as much as it is trusting in all the promises of God.

It’s one thing to sing from the shores of victory. It’s another when the storm is still surrounding you and all you have are the words of God to hold on to and to guide you through.

God isn’t due all of your prayer and praise because of the promise of life getting easier but simply because He’s worth it. Regardless of whether you ever see another promise of God fulfilled or not, He’s worthy because of every single promise come to pass in the past. And on top of that, He’s promised to be with you to the end (and beyond).

That’s worth singing about, whether you sound like Whitney Houston or Elmer Fudd. He’s worth it!