Power of perfected praise

What is the power of perfected praise?

Praise and worship are the greatest tools of all the redeemed who are known by God and are called for this very purpose in life. Praise speaks a great deal about our understanding of who our God is. Men and women of praise tell God in the true sacrifices of their lips that they have understood His sovereignty over all things in life. The Lord Jesus quoting from psalms 8:2  in His words said “ Yes, Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of the babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise?” In these words Jesus tried to tell the critical leader of the Jews and all who were gathered around Him through doubt and unbeleif that only a childlike reverential acknowledgement of Him will cause things to move in the invisible kingdom of God. Praise speaks of an act of acknowledgment of God’s goodness and mercy and His awesomeness over all things.Perfected praise produces unparallel power to destroy the works of darkness around. As we discussed on Thursday night the walls of the city of Jericho crumbled by the shouts of praise and the sounding of the trumpets and that after the seventh day when Joshua and His men marched around the city walls seven times.  This also tells us that praise perfected has power in itself to bring the walls of the enemy territory dawn. The sound of a true heart of praise and worship coming from a childlike faith breaks the barriers of all kinds and opens up the doors for God’s Spirit to be poured out.

Our common adversary the Devil knows the power of perfected praise and that is why he would do everything and anything in his power to stop the power of this praise to reach to heaven in God’s children lives. Satan is the author of grief and mourning.

Sometimes in the natural it seems impossible to lift up praise, since the life circumstances around us are not warranting such an action in reaction to our situations in life. The generation that went to capture the promise land were the military aged children of the generation who died in the wilderness. These were men who understood God’s redeeming power of grace and had true loyalty to the words of their commander and leader Joshua. Although the book of Hebrews says it was not Joshua who gave them an eternal promise of rest, yet a physical and temporal rest promised by him mixed with faith gave the children of Israel this faith based praise that brought them victory over the walls of the enemy city.

The praise perfected from the mouth of babes also means as the psalmist David says an ordained strength due to the presence of our enemies in the unseen world, which  would silence our avenger’s voice in our lives. Perfected praise also means releasing of the supernatural power of God when no other  source of hope is left. The heavenly armies are on the standby to act upon the praise of the saints and in this the Old Testament scriptures faithfully testify. Every time the armies of the living God was sent to capture any enemy territory the musicians were sent first. Enemy, Satan once having been the worship leader in heaven knows the power of perfected praise and he does all he can to stop God’s armies to bring this victory first in the supernatural and then in the natural realm. In the New Testament we hear many like Paul and Silas parsing and singing in the prison and how the power of their praise broke the walls of their prison in an earthquake  that shook the whole place. Giving them victory over their trial and not only that it caused the jailor and his entire family to be saved from the powers of the enemy’s strong hold of fear and death.

In describing the power of perfected praise I also need to add the meaning behind the word perfected. In the word perfectedwe have to dig a little deeper. Besides the praise that comes out of a pure childlike faith there is also another hidden explanation of perfected praise and that is to praise God when all things around us seems to be upside dawn. When going through an uncertain and confusing times. When all seems to have failed around us. Life has not been as we have thought it would be, and to be honest with you when all is going completely against our expectations. When even God and His silence does not make sense. When all our expectations from men and God has turned contrary to our wishes and our understanding. When we are able to worship Him in such an atmosphere on continual basis this kind of praise becomes perfected. Meaning our praise is not based

Upon our circumstances, but has a lot to do in loving and knowing who God is. It is this kind of praise and a song sang to Him in this kind of circumstances that has the power to move God’s heart and hand to act upon our worship. This reminds me of the hymn of faith sang by prophet Habakkuk in chapter 3 verses 17 through 19. This song of praise sang by Prophet Habakkuk was a perfected praise, since in it we hear the prophet of God rejoicing in His own God that had made him a man of true praise. He is singing a hymnal of praise to His God when nothing was going right around him or for him.

God in prophet Habakkuk sees a genuine heart parsing Him for who He is and not what He could do for him. In this I am sure the Lord with a smile on His face is saying “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now I know your song of praise is perfected in weaknesses and is causing a strength and power to rise in you to conquer all things”

This is what prophet Habakkuk sang to the Lord. ¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not blossom    and there are no grapes on the vines, though the  labor of olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

 ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to walk on the heights. Yes in the midst of all of these, this is what Habakkuk writes and hands it to the director of the music to put a melody over his words. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. Why such a song is what the prophet wants to be sang in Israel at  the worst time of her turmoil? Because he had understood the purpose behind all their wonderings in regards to the character shaping events in his life and the life his people Israel.

Perfected praise is our powerful weapon which makes us press on and press into life’s difficulties and gives us strength unknown to have victory over many difficult challenges of life. Yes you heard me right to press on and press in to the highest places that God wants us to overcome through this hidden strength.

A perfected praise is when our worship of Him has not been preconditioned by our expectations of Him. It is when it becomes a daily song of praise even in our utter barrenness as the scriptures declare in Isaiah 54 “Sing O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing , and cry aloud, you who have not labored with Child!” Wow what kind of an exhortation is this, and that to a barren person?

But reading the next verses we could see the promise in faith that is attached to all those who would dare praise Him for what they are yet to see by the eyes of their faith.

The Power of God released in our midst through perfected praise is like no other strength. It is the power that lead Jesus on the cross. It is the strength that brought Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Moriah. It was the power that brought the walls of captivity of God’s people dawn numerous times. The power gained through adversities of all kinds in praise and worship is the power that resurrected our Lord from His grave. It is matchless! It is the true strength! May the Lord Who is living in our midst today give us all this power to stand in the midst of all adversity and to look upon Jesus the author and the finisher of all our faith. May His strength be yours and mine during these coming days to press on and pressing through the narrow path before us with a song of praise in our mouth. Just like those who have gone before us and have left us an example of true praise. May the God of peace continue in keeping us in His praise for peace