Praising God Past the Point of No Return

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A few weekends ago, my husband and I took a much needed day away from a long list of household chores to enjoy a leisurely scenic drive to the Northern California coastline. Since we live in what seems like an endless sea of suburbia stretching for 60 miles between our house and San Francisco, it’s easy to forget that vast areas of rural land still exist just a short drive away. Given that California ranks third for the highest real estate prices in the country, it was both surprising and somewhat hope-inspiring to drive by grazing fields on the bluffs high above the ocean ridge. As I marveled at the breathtaking view and wondered if cattle even could appreciate it, my husband interrupted my thoughts by stating calmly, “I should’ve filled up the tank when we stopped for breakfast.”

Yes, again, I know it’s hard to believe, but there we were … no gas stations for about 60 miles, almost non-existent cell coverage, and only one way we could go unless we wanted to backtrack significantly. Our only goal for the day besides relaxing had been to drive over to the coast just north of the bay, take Route 1 up the coastline, and then eventually zigzag our way back through the mountains to wine country before heading home. Being the fraidy-cat I am, I instantly replied, “Well, I guess we’ll have to go back then.” Of course, I knew he would probably disagree with me. Sometimes I think he likes to see how far we can run on fumes just to watch me squirm a little bit. But this time was different. Once we began winding our way through this remote mountain pass, we would be past the point of no return. We’d have to go all the way through. There would be no alternative routes ahead. There was only one way through to the other side, and we were on it.

“Let’s go for it. I think we can make it,” he says with a playful wink. I would have preferred him to leave out the word “think” in that statement, even if it were a lie. As we began winding our way through towering trees and around sharp cliffs without guardrails, I tried not to think about the fuel situation. I tried to enjoy one of the curviest, narrow, and most beautiful roads I had ever been on. But one thought kept gnawing at the back of my mind… We were now past the point of no return. We had to see this through.

At one point, when we still had about 20 miles to go, I could feel panic creeping into my thoughts. The cool, moist ocean air was long gone, and we were driving through what was almost a high dessert. As the 100-degree heat bore down through the windshield, I suddenly recalled a story from the nightly news about some motorists out West getting stranded in the mountains, fighting off a mountain lion, and getting severely dehydrated before another car came along. Not good things to flash through your mind when you’re running on fumes. Of course, I instantly counted in my head how many bottles of water we had with us. I also started keeping track of how often we passed another vehicle. Or at least I tried. I think we encountered only two the entire trip.

Well, you get the idea, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. We made it. But barely. I think even my husband was getting a teensy bit nervous when he asked me several times if I had a cell signal and could I tell how far away the nearest gas station was. During that time, he remained incredibly serene and totally enamored with the route and the epic scenery. I kept my mouth shut because I didn’t want him to know I was so distracted by the “what if’s.” When it was all over, I was relieved, of course, but in the weeks since I have also come to realize how much of life is about living beyond the point of no return. Each and every day. Not only the ones filled with obvious reasons to panic. Every second that ticks by of our lives cannot be repeated. There is no turning back. Ever. So why is it we so often live as though we can do things over and over? Like we always have another day, another year, to love someone as we should. To apologize. To make things right. To pursue our dreams.

I love how there’s story after story in the Bible to teach us how to live each day with an understanding that we’ve passed the point of no return. And if we have eyes to see them, there are stories happening all around us right now, each with their own remarkable lesson to learn. I don’t know why this surprises me, but I had to reach my own point of no return to understand the power and impact of praising God in the heat of spiritual battle. But just to be crystal clear about what I mean by praising God, I am not talking about simply having an attitude of praise, or giving Him prayers of thanksgiving, or even spending time on my knees telling Him how much I honor, love, and worship Him. Turning to God in our moments of need is often composed of spiritual disciplines that feel comfortable in our solitude. After all, being vulnerable is usually something we prefer to do alone. And prayer is powerful. Meditating on the Word is life-changing. But we often miss out on one of the most immediately effective weapons in our arsenal — singing praise to God. Yes, I mean singing out loud with all your might all by yourself. Anywhere you are. Any time. Ok, maybe not in the middle of the grocery store or the office break room, but just about any time you get the chance, especially when you are walking through the middle of a life storm, a major decision, or feel a spiritual attack.

More than spiritual icing on the cake after a good sermon or a spontaneous response to an outpouring of blessings, singing to God is a no-kidding, get-serious weapon to fight a myriad of spiritual problems within our hearts, in the world around us, and against the very forces of evil that want to destroy our souls. If you typically reserve out-loud singing for Sundays or would never dream of bursting into song all by yourself, which is how I have been most of my life, then you may not have experienced the miraculous power of singing praises in the midst of spiritual warfare. And if you’re like me, you may not have a good voice. But talent is completely irrelevant when it comes to the effective use of singing to fight your battles and bring joy to the heart of your Creator. For this, I am incredibly thankful. However, once you experience the miraculous results of singing during an onslaught of anger, suffering, frustration, pain, heartbreak, rejection, or injustice, and learn to wield the weapon effectively and consistently, you’ll never want to be without it again.

One of the best things I’ve ever read about fighting spiritual battles with praise is a sermon entitled “Ambushing Satan with the Power of Song,” delivered by John Piper back in 1985. With triumphant delivery and filled with powerful anecdotes both drawn from the Bible and everyday experiences, Piper explains why singing is so necessary for the power of God to be unleashed and how it works. “Singing is not merely a response to grace. Singing is power. I promise you [singing] will bring a new power to your fight of faith. Satan cannot bear the singing of the saints. You can drive him away with song. And don’t fall for his lie that you can’t sing. Everybody can sing. Not everybody can perform. Not everybody can lead. Not everybody can read music or even stay on the right keys. But everybody can sing to God.”

He goes on to explain that the Holy Spirit residing in believers is our “great hope against Satan” and that one of the primary ways we release the power of the Holy Spirit is through song, according to Ephesians 5:18b-19. “Be filled with the Holy Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with all your heart.” Then, Piper tells four powerful stories — two from the Bible, one about missionary Jim Elliot, and one from Piper’s own ministry — which demonstrate the miraculous effect of singing. Here’s a quick recap of the stories Piper tells, but I strongly encourage you to listen to or read the full-length sermon.

• Jehoshaphat — First up is Jehoshaphat, one of the Godly kings of Judah who began his 25-year reign in 870 BC. When his enemies rose up against him, Jehoshaphat and the people sought God’s help through prayer and singing, ultimately sending the musicians and vocalists to the frontline of the army rather than the soldiers. 2 Chronicles 20:22 tells us how the battle went. “And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.” This story also reminded me of Jericho from Joshua 6:20, and how the walls fell before the Israelites when they blew their trumpets.
• Paul and Silas — Next, Piper recounts the story of Paul and Silas suffering in prison after being flogged and publicly humiliated. As Piper points out, most of us cry out in prayer when we are in pain or hit bottom, but rarely would we turn to something as simplistic or Pollyanna-ish as singing. Yet, according to Piper, Paul and Silas new the simplistic solution was the best one. They needed a display of God’s power and knew that He would inhabit the praises of His people. So they sang. And it worked. Acts 16:26 says, “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened.”
• Jim Elliot — Just before being killed for his faith, missionary Jim Elliot and his companions spent time singing praises to God as they prepared to take the Gospel to the Auca Indians of Ecuador. Like me, when you read that, you might immediately recoil, wondering why Piper would use that story as an example of the power of praise in spiritual warfare. It sounds like a complete failure to me. But Piper explains why Jim Elliot was triumphant through song this way: “All five of them were killed that afternoon. But they, too, were protected by God — protected from a fate far worse than death. They were protected from cowardice and unbelief and fear. And I think it would be fair to say — protected with song.” I think we could say the same for Horatio Spafford, who wrote the timeless hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” following the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire, which ignited a chain of events that utterly broke him financially and led to the death of his four living children. Song miraculously sustained Spafford and his wife through the most horrendous seasons of grief and loss.
• A Demon-Possessed Woman — Many of us have never knowingly encountered a person possessed by evil spirits. We read about such things in the Bible and wonder how it could be any more than a riveting movie plot in today’s world. But Piper includes a personal experience in his sermon that is both stunning and incredibly educational. As a pastor, he has counseled people struggling with all kinds of battles, but in this case, he had been called by a group of believers trying to help a woman displaying all the characteristics of possession. As hours and hours pass, the group reads scripture to her and prays for her. She grows ever more violent, but doesn’t seem to make any real progress toward healing. Then, everything changed in a split second with the addition of song. Here is how Piper tells it: “At one point, about one in the morning, when the conflict rose to a fever pitch between the Word of God and the satanic force in this woman, someone in the group began to sing. It was one of our familiar worship songs. We sang it again and again and the Lord gave us new words for it each time. The effect on her was dramatic. She began to tremble and threaten us if we didn’t stop. Then she threw herself on the floor and screamed for Satan not to leave her. She went into convulsions and then went limp. When she came to, she remembered nothing of what happened and was willing to read Scripture and pray.” Singing was an instrument in this woman’s healing and the believers’ fight against Satan for her life.

Maybe the idea of singing praises sounds too simplistic to you. Honestly, it kind of did for me too. Sure, I’ve experienced a fresh outpouring of joy and strength when I’ve spent time praising God, either at church, or at home, or singing aloud in my car where no one will suffer from my off-key strains. But until recently, I hadn’t tried singing when I was angry or bewildered. I don’t know about you, but singing is absolutely the last thing I feel like doing when I’m angry or discouraged. But after a series of one frustrating or disappointing situation after another, I felt as though I was at the point of no return. Then the thought occurred to me to get angry — righteously angry, that is — at the source of all the trouble. Yes, prayer, speaking the Word, fasting, and saying the name of Jesus are all critical components in defeating Satan, but song is sometimes the very ingredient — when added to all the others — that seems to take our defense to the stratosphere. Why on earth would something that on the surface seems like the antithesis of strength and force be so powerful? How does praise work? According to Piper, the praises of God’s people lifted up to the throne of the King throws the enemy into confusion. It happened with Jehoshaphat and with the demon-possessed woman. I’ve always believed in the necessity to be a warrior in the fight against Satan, but it’s never been as real, or as visceral, as it is now.

This week’s five-day devotional guide, which is included at the bottom of the blog post, is a little bit different than I normally provide. But if you’re ready to do some battle through song, then I encourage you to check it out. You may not have time to do all of it, nor may you be ready to try everything it suggests, but here’s one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, you’ll come out of whatever you try in a better place spiritually than before you started.

Five-Day Devotional Guide For Further Reflection and Daily Spiritual Journaling
The questions and readings below can be used for a single-day study or your daily quiet time throughout the week. Before you begin reading the passage for each day, spend some time asking God to open your heart to His truth and hearing His voice.

• Day 1 - Watch this inspiring three-minute video from Desiring God which is based on the original sermon by John Piper. Then after spending time in prayer, sing your favorite praise chorus or hymn to God.
• Day 2 - Listen to a few songs you know from this playlist and sing along as the Holy Spirit leads you. Following your time of worship, read Psalm 5:11 and ask God to keep the power of praise alive in your heart throughout the day.
• Day 3 - Revisit the story from Joshua 6 about Jericho’s walls falling and then journal about the walls you need to fall and why. Ask God to give you a song in your heart to sing until the walls fall, whether it’s hours, days, or weeks from now.  This song from the playlist on Day 1 will encourage you.
• Day 4 - Write down your greatest fear, whether or not it’s something that’s actually interfering with your life right now. Read Zephaniah 3:17, then Listen to the song “You Make Me Brave” from the playlist. In that spirit of worship, go to the Lord in prayer.
• Day 5 - Revisit the story of Paul and Silas in jail from Acts 16. What is remarkable about their ordeal and what role did praising God play in helping them? Ask God to help you turn to Him in song more often. Jot down any situation that comes to your mind that needs the power of praise. Spend time in prayer asking God to help you react in praise rather than anger, frustration, guilt, shame, or bewilderment.

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