Power in Prayer: Praise as a Weapon

by Marilynn Chadwick

I once saw an old Tarzan movie in which the ape man was peering at a droplet of water through a microscope. The instrument had been brought to Africa by Jane’s father, Professor Porter. Tarzan was quite shaken to see that the water he drank daily was teeming with all kinds of organisms, invisible to the naked eye.

Similarly, the Bible reveals that our spiritual atmosphere is filled with unseen enemies—the source of our spiritual battles. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NLT).

I wonder how we’d react if we could catch a glimpse of the spirits in the invisible heavenly places. Like Tarzan, I imagine we’d be shocked. The Bible doesn’t spend a lot of time describing this spiritual realm. It does, however, give us instructions on how to do battle. We’re given a detailed list of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-20. One of my personal favorite battle tactics is found in James 4:7 (NET): “Submit to God…resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

But one of the most powerful weapons to deal with the powers of darkness is the weapon of praise. Praising the Lord, while also giving thanks, fights our enemy in ways we don’t fully understand. Yet this tactic is surprisingly powerful, so it’s worth emphasizing.

I have an 80-year-old friend who has been a powerful Bible teacher for over 50 years. She recently shared with me that she considers praise to be the strongest weapon in her prayer arsenal.

The New Testament is filled with stories which illustrate the power of praise. We see Paul and Silas singing and praising God in a Philippian jail—their chains fell off, the jailer accepted Jesus, and his whole family became believers (Acts 16:22-34).

The Old Testament, too, tells stories of praise and its mighty power. King Jehosophat and the people of Israel were being attacked by their enemies. Defeat looked certain, but Jehosophat sought the Lord. “After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: ‘Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!’ At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves” (2 Chronicles 20:21-22).

Perhaps you’re facing a fierce spiritual battle. You’ve resisted, and prayed, and fought the good fight. But you’re exhausted. Why not take a lesson from King Jehosophat? This may be your strategic moment to simply thank God and praise him for his goodness. Let him fight this battle. Rest in his power—even if you don’t fully understand. Remember how the devil and his minions hate praise. So, if you can just stand firm and continue to praise and thank God in the middle of your trouble, I believe you will ultimately see the devil flee. After all, he is allergic to praise.