2 Chronicles 20 records for us one of the great stories of God’s deliverance. At this time the king in Jerusalem is Jehoshaphat, a good and godly king with bad taste in friends, but that’s another story. Anyway, he receives word that the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Edomites are planning a joint offensive against him. This is bad news bears. All three of these nations have grudges to settle. Back in the day David subdued all these guys, but that was then. This is now. And now looks very scary.

But God sends them a word. One of the Levites named Jahaziel stands up and tells them that the upcoming battle belongs to the Lord, and that they won’t have to fight it; they will just watch and see the power of God. Jehoshaphat gives thanks to God, and then orders his army for battle, with the singers and musicians in the front, and they march down to the battle singing the praises of God. And before they go, the king tells them to believe in the Lord and his deliverance. And when they began to sing, God sprung divine traps all around the enemies such that they all killed each other, and when the armies of Judah came round the bend, all they saw were dead enemies and heaps of treasure. 

So worship is warfare. Because right worship is living faith, it is a work caried out by hands and feet and minds and mouths that flows from the settled conviction that Christ is Lord of all and we are his. And as we see in the gospels, where there is faith, God works mighty things.

The world would tell you that power resides in political influence, technological artifice, and having more doubloons than the other guy. But the scriptures show us that true power flows from faith manifested in worship. So sure, seek to be profitable in your business dealings and use the tools we have been given to the glory of God and be diligent in exercising your civil responsibilities, but don’t forget that all that is downstream of singing the praises of God with his people on the Lord’s day. All that is downstream of singing the psalms around the dinner table. All that is downstream of teaching your children the songs of the faith. First things first.