We read Psalm 149 in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan for today. Here are verses 1-5:
1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, praise Him in the assembly of His saints! 2 Let Israel rejoice in Him, their Maker; let Zion’s children triumph and be joyful in their King! 3 Let them praise His name in chorus and choir and with the [single or group] dance; let them sing praises to Him with the tambourine and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory. 5 Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds.
It has been said that this psalm is a primer on worship. There are many different types of praise and methods for doing so. The common denominator in all praise is the Subject! We are to praise the LORD! We praise Him for Who He is and for ALL that He has done in us, for us, and through us! We are to praise Him in private and in the congregation! We are to praise Him in song, with instruments and with dancing! Take a check on your own personal praise and worship of the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God. Are there areas that you need to add or improve upon? Remember that praise is the perfect prayer! It is acknowledging the Lord above all else in your life. It is giving HIM the preeminence! He alone deserves our whole heart and soul and mind and strength! Let's pick it up in our praise lives, both individually and in the congregation! HE inhabits the praises of His people! CELEBRATE! Now lets look at the last 4 verses!
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands, 7 To wreak vengeance upon the nations and chastisement upon the peoples, 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron, 9 To execute upon them the judgment written. He [the Lord] is the honor of all His saints. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
These verses show us that besides what we have previously learned and known about praise and worship, it is also part of our "weapons of warfare"! 2 Corinthians 10:4:
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, AMP
Our praise and worship, combined with our declaration of the Word of God, will defeat the enemy every time! Do you remember the account of the shout unto the Lord of the Israelites at Jericho, after their obedient silence (Joshua 5-6)? Do you remember the results of the praise and worship going on before at the "battle" against the Moabites and Ammonites during the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20)? Let's get thoroughly involved in improving our praise and worship life and in getting ready for what GOD is going to do! AMEN! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "Great In Power":
Shalom in Him!
