God's Power and Presence in Praise
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| I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart - Psalm 9:1 |
Psalm 9
I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad, and
I will rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.
When my enemies turn back,
They shall fall and perish at Your presence.
— Psalm 9:1-3
In English, the phrase "When my enemies turn back" in the above verse sounds passive and disconnected from the acts of praise being displayed. The Hebrew text reads more literally.
"In turning my enemies backward they will stumble and perish at Your presence"
The Hebrew rendering more clearly shows how our praise to God is closely connected to, and invitational to, God's presence, which actively and aggressively turns our enemies back. This idea is confirmed in the Psalm right before it.
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
— Psalm 8:2
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| Jesus Healing People by James Tissot Brooklyn Museum |
Praise Is a Weapon
... Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants you have perfected (ordained, established) praise’?”
— Matthew 21:16
The New Testament quote from Jesus translates Psalm 8 for us, showing that praise establishes spiritual strength and power. The Old Testament version of this verse shows us that this power is the very presence of God, which silences the enemy and the avenger.
The tribe of Judah was the fourth son of Jacob, and His name means "praise." The blessing Jacob spoke over Judah before he died was the following.
"Your hand will be upon the neck of your enemy"
— Genesis 49:8
We could paraphrase it like this.
"Praise will be the hand upon the neck of your enemy."
Praise is seen as a weapon here. Judah (Praise) was the first tribe to be dispatched in their military order, indicating that praise should be dispatched first in all of life's battles.
Humility Is a Prerequisite to Praise
... for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God— John 12:43
The "babes" were those whose humility and dependence enabled them to recognize the God in their midst, as evidenced by His compassion in His healing touch.
I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
— Matthew 11:25
People's lavish praise showed their faith and enabled Jesus to perform the miracles He did in undoing the enemy's works. (1 John 3:8).
Matthew 13 illustrates the necessity of faith for God's power and presence in our lives and circumstances. Rather than praising God, the people in this chapter chose to view and declare Jesus as common, familiar, and therefore ineffective. The result was the following.
... He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
— Matthew 13:58
As Paul states in his letter to the Ephesians, our enemies are not people.
... we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
— Ephesians 6:12
Our conflicts in the natural realm often stem from spiritual issues. It is also worth noting that our worst enemy is often ourselves.
A brief study of the Hebrew words for praise in our opening scripture, Psalm 9, reveals valuable details that can seem generic in English. Note the following five "I wills" that define what constitutes "praise."
- I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
- I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
- I will be glad and
- I will rejoice in You;
- I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. When my enemies turn back, they shall fall and perish at Your presence.
— Psalm 9:1-3
The phrase "I will" denotes deliberation and decisiveness. Praise, in this instance, is not passive, as in waiting for a feeling. The Psalmist consciously chooses to praise.
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There Is Nothing Too Difficult For God
"I will praise (ידה)You, O Lord, with my whole heart."
— Psalm 9:1
This thought aligns with the Matthew 21 version of this Psalm. The recipients of His love cry, "Hosanna to the Son of David." They declare Him their immediate salvation from their desperate plight.
The second phrase in the same verse, communicating praise, is the following.
I will tell of all Your wondrous works.
— Psalm 9:1
The literal translation of the word "tell" is to take into account, measure, or number. Job uses this word in the same way.
Stand still and consider (take into account) the wondrous works of God.
— Job 37:14
This verse also agrees with Matthew 21. The text declares that He healed the blind and lame and was praised for His wondrous works. Wondrous works indicate the miraculous achievement of the impossible. The following verses support God's ability to do what is impossible for us.
Is anything too hard for the Lord?
— Genesis 18:4
I know that You can do everything ...
— Job 42:2
Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
— Jeremiah 32:17
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
— Jeremiah 32:27
... with God all things are possible.
— Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27
...with God, nothing will be impossible
— Luke 1:37
The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
— Luke 18:27
Nothing is beyond the scope of His knowledge and power. Nothing in our lives is beyond what He can help us with. If that isn't worthy of consideration, praise, and declaration, I don't know what is. Not to mention, it invites us into God's presence and deliverance from our enemies.
Praise Is Intoxicating
The third "I will" statement is the following.
I will be glad.
— Psalm 9:2
The word glad in this particular verse means to leap with joy. According to Gesenius' Lexicon, It compares the state to being merry with wine. Confessing loudly, intentionally, and maybe even a bit obnoxiously, His goodness towards us, as well as taking into account all that He does and can do, leads to intoxicating expressions of joy.
Acts 2 showed this when the Holy Spirit came upon them, and the works of God were displayed and declared. It appeared as if they were intoxicated.
... we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
— Acts 2:11-13
This does not support the strange manifestations witnessed in the "Renewal" movement, which exhibited what appeared to be seriously out-of-control fleshly behavior. However, it fully supports conscious, exuberant, and enthusiastic worship born from genuine admiration and adoration of the One who displays God's "wonderful works" to us.
The fourth "I will" statement from Psalm 9 is the following
I will rejoice in you.
— Psalm 9:2
The Hebrew word for rejoicing in this verse means to triumph or exult, which also reflects the theme of this study: triumphing over our enemies.
... Let not my enemies triumph (same Hebrew word translated rejoice) over me.
— Psalm 25:2
Praise silences the enemy forces and operations in our lives, as shown in the first part of this writing.
Our study's fifth and final "I will" statement is the following.
I will sing praise to your name
Oh Most High.
— Psalm 9
This word is associated with playing instruments and rhythm. It is almost always used in praise to God. It more accurately translates to "to make music" vocally and instrumentally. Interestingly, Gesenius defines this word as to prune or cut off.
In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.
— Psalm (song) 143:12
There is a connection between praise to God and music. The instrument and/or voice serve as a way to cut off our enemies.
The pictograph for the Hebrew word for "sing" (zamar זמר), as used in this verse, supports this idea. The first letter of zamar זמר is a zayin ז, which represents a cutting tool or weapon. Singing and making music seem like strange tools or weapons.
... the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
— 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
This concept of praise as a weapon against adversity is so eloquently exemplified in 2 Chronicles 20 through the story of Jehoshaphat. At least two enemy nations were coming up against Judah, the Southern kingdom. Jehoshaphat and the people sought the Lord for guidance. And Jehoshaphat did the following.
... he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying:“Praise the Lord,
For His mercy endures forever.”
— 2 Chronicles 20:21
What a surprising and fantastic military strategy: sending out singers and praisers. What more could demonstrate their faith in the God who would save them? What more could it say about our praising Him as our first line of defense in our daily battles?
Worship isn’t ultimately defined by my personality type or preferences, but by the Word and worthiness of the One true God.
— Bob Kauflin
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| Jesus saving Peter as he sinks in the stormy waters by James Tissot Brooklyn Museum |
Singing Praise Is Powerful
... He drew me out of many watersHe delivered me from my strong enemy,From those who hated me,For they were too strong for me.— Psalm (song) 18:16
Jesus exemplifies this by walking on adverse, chaotic waters. And in another incident, He commands the winds and the waves to be still. In both cases, Jesus displays His authority over all chaotic forces, natural and spiritual. These battles are not ours but His, as also shown in the story of Jehoshaphat.
Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude (many waters enemies), for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
— 2 Chronicles 20:15
Conquering these battles will require the humility to admit that we are not geniuses or powerful enough to fight them. Praise acknowledges God's Power and might.
Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
— Zechariah 4:6
Mem מ confirms that musical praise is a viable spiritual weapon against our enemies and the forces of chaos in our lives.
The final letter, zamar זמר, the Hebrew word for "sing praise," is a "resh ר" and is represented by the profile of a person moving forward; it can be connected with the idea of taking possession and having dominion. It also alludes to conscious forebrain activity.
Praise is about us consciously moving forward in praise to our awesome and sovereign King of the universe while He pushes our enemies backward. In this,
God can gain possession of the territory of our hearts and lives. God wants dominion in our lives and to be glorified through them. Let us humble ourselves before Him and give Him all the praise due Him, which will invite His presence, scatter our enemies, and give Him that place in our lives.
To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever.
— 1 Peter 5:11
Focus on the bullseye.
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It's About Focus
Repeated complaining rewires your brain, making future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it easier to be negative than positive, regardless of what’s happening around you. Complaining becomes your default behavior ...
Research from Stanford University has also found that complaining reduces the size of our hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and problem-solving. The study found that engaging in complaining or simply hearing someone complain for more than 30 minutes could physically damage our brains.
Scripture offers an interesting example of what this looks like. In Numbers chapter 11, the children of Israel complain when they grow bored with the manna God provides. They begin to recount all the things they liked in Egypt, forgetting the hard bondage that God had delivered them from. God was not pleased.
Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord ...
— Numbers 11:1
In their complaining, they did not consider God or praise Him. Their focus shifted from God to themselves and their desires and dissatisfaction. We also see how their negativity only generated more negativity. It became such a burden to Moses that he, in turn, complained to God. Moreover, their complaining, rather than praising God, prevented God's people from entering the land of promise.
Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? ... Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to make you dwell.
— Numbers 14:26,30
Paul informs us that complaining is a way for the enemy to destroy us.
Do not ... grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
— 1 Corinthians 10:9
Praise shifts our focus from the problem to the problem solver.
"The singing heart is blind to obstacles and recognizes in all things the loving hand of an all-wise Father ... The power of evil to destroy joy is nullified when Christ Himself becomes the one point of attention."
— Come Away My Beloved by Frances J. Roberts
The writer of Hebrews testifies to the same reality: staying focused is essential to the joy set before us, and Jesus is our first example.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
— Hebrews 12:1-4
In conclusion, I desire that the territory of my life and the lives of my family members be conquered and occupied by the One and Only Lord God Almighty. I face daily battles on these fronts, from which this study was born. I praise Him today, saying that nothing is too complicated for Him. No personality is unreachable. God can do this!! Amen!
Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered.
— Psalm 68:1
© 2013 Tamarajo
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