WHEN THEY BEGAN TO SING AND TO PRAISE

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."  (Romans 10:8-11)

There is an important link between what we believe, and what we speak.  Whatever we truly believe in our hearts, we will be anxious to share, and not ashamed to verbalize.  What comes out of our mouth in unguarded moments is usually what we really hold as true in our hearts.  There are, unfortunately, many Christians who have failed to believe in the transforming power of the grace of God in their lives, and who walk in defeat and discouragement as a result.  Their conversation in turn tends to be very negative and their mood generally gloomy.  On the other hand, those who walk in the joy and victory of the grace of God will reflect that in their speech, and will be positive and optimistic.  "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak."  (2Corinthians 4:13; Psalm 116:10)  A man’s words flow out of the fullness of his heart.

When King Jehoshaphat of Judah was confronted by an enemy force that significantly outnumbered his army, he sought the Lord and humbled himself before God, confessing his own weakness and acknowledging God's great might and power.  After doing this, God spoke through a prophet who was with them, and told them that this was His battle, and not theirs.  Though God didn't intend for Israel to have to fight this battle, He did expect for them to go out and face their enemy.  He simply told them to, "Stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord."  (2 Chronicles 20:17) 

Jehoshaphat was greatly encouraged, and as they went out to meet their enemy, he instructed the people to sing and praise the Lord as they went.  "Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated." (2 Chronicles 20:22 NKJV)  God spoke to them, they believed His Word, they affirmed what they believed verbally, and then God delivered them.

In the New Testament we find the story of Paul and Silas who were wrongfully beaten and cast into a Philippian dungeon.  God had given Paul a vision earlier which instructed him and Silas to be at this place at this time.  So, rather than be overcome with despair, they chose to believe God's direction and look to see what He would do.  "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."  (Acts 16:25)  What happened next was that God sent an earthquake which knocked all the prison doors open and loosened the iron bands that shackled them.  God spoke to them, they believed His Word, they affirmed what they believed verbally, and then God delivered them. 

We must not minimize the importance of our confession of faith.  Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."  (Mark 11:23)  Sometimes, all that God is waiting for in order to help us is our confession of faith.  It's important to remember, though, that Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.  We don't get to decide how God chooses to act in our lives.  We first must seek His will in prayer, and then wait for Him to speak a word to us.  He may speak to us as we read, while talking with someone else, in church, through a song, through a minister on radio or TV, or just from a scripture that He plants in our heart.  However He speaks, it will be in direct answer to our prayers and will shed light into our hearts.  It will also never contradict His written Word.  After we hear His voice, we can embrace and believe His Word, and begin to confess what He has promised to do.  "What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops."  (Matthew 10:27)   

Scripture says of Abraham, "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform."  (Romans 4:20,21)  If we received a letter in the mail saying that we were to get a check for ten thousand dollars in five days, we would be telling everyone about it, even though we did not have the cash in hand yet.  Because of the word that we were sent, however, we would trust that the money was as good as ours.  How much more confidence should we be placing in the promises of almighty God!  It should be all we talk about, don't you think? 

"Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword [the Word of God] in their hand."  (Psalm 149:6)