daily devotional

What do you do when you don’t know what to pray any more? When your spirit is weary, when your worries tower over you and your doubts come creeping in? When reality screams for answers and you’re without a single one?

I know exactly what to do. I know because I’ve been there. I am there.

You raise a hallelujah.

You sing out to a God who is mighty and just, a God who is moved by your praise, a God who has an Army ready to fight for you as your hallelujah sends the marching orders to heaven’s angels. Your hallelujah is a praise to the Almighty, a cry of your spirit worshiping, trusting, surrendering, calling out to your Creator. Will you raise a hallelujah today over the things you don’t even know how to pray about? Will you raise a hallelujah in the middle of this storm? Louder and louder, will you let your praises roar?

I fell asleep last night singing Bethel Music’s lyrics, and I woke up this morning as the sun was rising, singing them again …

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me

I can think of nothing more powerful than praising the one who sees it all, knows it all, and is making a way through it all. This is our faith in action. This is how we climb the mountains and we cross the valleys. This is how we overcome … we raise a hallelujah.

While the enemy is still present, you praise God. While the threat still looms over you, while the storm still rages and the answers are unknown, this is when you worship. Yes, we have an enemy – one who is out to destroy us. One who knows our potential even better than we do, who is threatened by our potential, the potential of our children and future generations, and comes to steal, kill and destroy. He uses the enemy of division, the enemy of rebellion, the enemy of sickness and depression, the enemy of desperation, the enemy of addiction, the enemy of bad thoughts and bad choices for absolute destruction in our lives. And here’s what we do in the presence of these enemies … we raise a hallelujah.

We lift our praise to the one who can change it all, BEFORE it is changing at all. Before our eyes see evidence of a turn, we worship and praise. Hebrews 11: 1 says “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” This is faith. You don’t see a change yet. There’s no evidence of this storm clearing. You see no way being made … yet. But faith is confidence to keep hoping for and believing in what you cannot see. I believe a way is being made AT THIS MOMENT. I believe tides are turning and breakthroughs are being made. I believe it, not because I can see it – not because there’s a shred of evidence that points to this belief – but because we serve a God who can be trusted. A God moved by our hallelujah.

And let me talk to you about this belief … there is still unbelief. There are still moments of rational reasoning that say there’s no way. And listen to me, that’s okay. It’s okay to still question. It’s okay to look at the storm around you and be afraid. Remember when Peter boldly stepped out onto the water with Jesus, and Jesus invited him to do the impossible with him? Peter began walking on the water. It was happening. Peter was doing the impossible with Jesus. Mark 14: 30-31 says “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”

You have received an invitation to do the impossible with Jesus. An invitation to walk through this storm. An invitation to climb this mountain and cross this valley. An invitation to go through the fire and not be burned. And in the middle of the impossible, you will look around and see where you are and what you’re doing, you’ll question if you’re good enough, you’ll question if you have what it takes and if you can keep going, and you’ll find yourself in the “unbelief”. Just as Peter began to sink in his unbelief right in the middle of doing the impossible with Jesus, we must remember exactly what Peter did – he cried out “Lord, save me!” This is raising a hallelujah – Jesus, I can’t do this on my own but I know you can save me. I praise you because you alone are able. I worship you in the middle of my unbelief that is overtaking me. And what is Jesus’ response? He IMMEDIATELY REACHED OUT HIS HAND AND CAUGHT HIM.

This is his response to raising a hallelujah – a song of praise, a cry for help, an act of worship – he reaches out immediately and catches us.

In Mark 9, we read of a father who’s son battled life threatening seizures. The father comes to Jesus and seeks healing for his son. in verse 23 Jesus says to him, ““If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

IF YOU CAN BELIEVE. Can you believe in the middle of this storm? Can you believe right now when you have no proof of things changing? Can you still believe today while you still feel inadequate, while the situation still appears hopeless, and more times goes by when time seems to be up? Can you believe? This father has an honest response to Jesus, knowing he is being called to believe in the midst of the impossible. Verse 24 says “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

And this is where we find ourselves today – We believe, we just need help with our unbelief. Because it still looks dang stormy out here on this sea of uncertainty. It still feels mighty hot in this fiery furnace threatening to burn our family up. The enemy is still pressing in hard from all sides. There is unbelief … yes. But let our praise be louder than our unbelief.

Let us talk more about the promises of God than the threats of the enemy!

I know what the enemy is capable of … and my God is capable of more! My God cannot be stopped. He cannot be contained. His powers reach to the ends of the earth and cover us all.

My praise, your praise, our worship – this is our weapon! This is how we fight my sister. In the presence of our enemy, when unbelief threatens all we know, right here in the middle of it all, we use our weapon of praise.

The very thing the enemy is attacking you with will be used to bring him down! Turn it around on him. What is he doing against you? What is he threatening you with? Use it to defeat him. Little Shepard boy David defeated the giant Goliath, then he took the sword of the enemy and cut his head off. Yes, the very thing that has almost taken you down is the exact thing you will use to defeat Satan. He thought he would defeat you with addiction, depression, sickness and affliction … now you turn it on him and you use your experiences to bring him down. You rise up as a changed, healed, restored and redeemed woman of the Lord, share your story, use what once threatened you as your weapon and go out and set others free!

Raise your halleljuah. And as you do, Heaven comes to fight for you. The angel armies are on their way. They’ve heard your cry, your praise has set them in motion. Let your spirit be lifted today knowing the unseen is happening on your behalf. The enemy is being defeated. A way is being made. Mountains are being moved. Chains are being broken. Prisoners are being set free.

This is what we do when we don’t know what to pray. We praise. We sing. We worship. We exalt the one who gave his very life to set us free. If God wouldn’t even stop at sacrificing his one and only son Jesus to save you, I’m pretty sure there are no limits on what he will do for you here and now. Hasn’t he already proven he will move Heaven and Hell to save you? Hasn’t he already proven he will fight for you?

Heaven is here to fight for you. Raise your hallelujah.