Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise”
[You give the weak, the unrecognized, the unimportant the great possibility of giving glory to you—such a significant task your grant them! Praise you that you give the privilege of praise to all, even infants. May we join them in giving peons of praise to you throughout the day.]
“because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”
[What a wonder: you use the praise of the weak to defeat your powerful enemies, starting with Satan, the avenger, and his forces! What an amazing thought! The deliverance of king Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 comes to mind. As the king faced a great coalition army, he came to you for help, “O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” (2Ch 20:12)
Then after a prophet foretold that God would deliver them, in faith “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD” (2Ch 20:18).
The king then followed the unusual strategy of sending out singers, a choir, before his army as they set out for battle. How would you like to be in an unarmed choir between two armies about to fight? It was a big step of faith for the choir, as well as the king. And God honored this faith.
“As they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated” (2Ch 20:22).
God responded to this praise of trust in Him and sovereignly defeated the enemy. Such praise is an act of pure faith, for there was no discernible reason to praise, except for knowing the powerful and good character of God.
So it is with us. As it says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving [that is, giving thanks when we don’t want to], honors me [that is, fulfilling the purpose of our lives] and opens the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.”
Praise opens the way for God’s help while complaining closes the door. May we follow king Jehoshaphat’s example of going immediately to God, keeping our eyes on Him, seeking His help and praising Him for it before any answer comes. This honors our Lord greatly and defeats the enemy whether we can see it or not!
