Rise Up to Worship
Paul reminds us in his letter to the church in Thessalonica that we do “not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). But what exactly does that mean? In this series, we explore what it looks like to honor God in our grief and examine the ways we can choose to grieve with hope.
This is how I fight my battles… It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by you.
Yesterday was a day filled with hard things and sad emotions for me, but today the lyrics to “Surrounded (Fight my Battles)” have been on my heart, in my ears, and seeping into my soul. As the worship song seeps into my soul, my spirit is lifted.
Worship changes everything.
Throughout my life, I have seen the power of worship to fight the enemy who comes to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10).
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read about a massive army marching to destroy God’s people. God’s people were extremely distraught because they knew they couldn’t physically win the battle against such a great army. So the leader prayed, and the response he received from God was “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s…You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you…
And then, guess what the leader did. He sent out the people to worship the Lord. They stood and sang:
“Give thanks to the Lord,for His steadfast love (faithfulness) endures forever.”
And then the bad guys killed each other! Every one of the bad guys was dead. That is the kind of battle I want to fight—one where all I have to do is praise the Lord and my enemies fall. God’s people didn’t even have to fight! All they had to do was worship because God was on their side. And He is on our side, because we are His beloved children. He will fight our battles.
We know that because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and resurrection, we have the hope of seeing our babies again.
“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and your love for all of God’s people, which come from
your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven.
You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”
Colossians 1:4-5 (NLT)
We aren’t without hope, but often the enemy wants to come at us with all he has to make us fear or doubt.
When grief threatens to overwhelm, worship the Lord.
When anger lurks, worship the Lord.
When fear clouds your faith, worship the Lord.
When uncertainty causes doubt, worship the Lord.
Rise up and worship the Lord!
Worshiping the Lord changes our focus. It takes the focus off of us and puts it on the One who is worthy of our praise.
It’s hard to do sometimes. I get it. When we are struggling, it’s hard to rise up and worship, but I have never regretted worshiping my Father in the difficult times. Never. He always meets me in the midst of my worship and fights my battles.
I want to be like the worshippers in 2 Chronicles 20 who stood still, worshiped the Lord, and let Him fight the battle. As my praise goes up, I know the enemies—called fear, doubt, confusion, and anger—fall.
One more thing: did you notice the worshippers stood and thanked the Lord for His steadfast love and faithfulness even before they had seen His faithfulness? They knew God’s character is one of steadfast love and that He is faithful to His people. And they praised Him for it.
Dear Hope Mommy, I pray as you grieve, you grieve with hope—the hope of the Lord. I pray you rise up, worship the Lord, and then watch the enemies fall. I pray you walk out the days ahead as the victor.
- Shelly
Hope Mom to Zachary Robert
Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.
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