I know some of you are thinking "Worship in the presence of our enemies? What a strange thing to say!" I suppose it does sound a bit strange. After all, is it not written in Scripture that we ought to worship in the presence of our LORD God? (1 Chronicles 16:29, Ezekiel 46:3, Psalm 95:6) Good point! Yes, it's true, God calls His children into an intimate relationship with Him and invites us to enter His presence to worship Him "in the splendor of His holiness".
But God doesn't call us to worship Him whenever or wherever it's most comfortable, convenient or in a situation that "makes sense" to us. No, instead, God calls His children to worship Him anywhere and everywhere and ALL THE TIME! Our Father God expects us to even be able to worship Him before the presence of our enemies so that they will know that we do not fear those that can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. No, instead we fear [revere] the One [God] who can destroy both soul and body in Hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Listen to what King Jehoshaphat says to the Lord God Almighty in 2 Chronicles 20:6-9 & 12 when he is faced with the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who joined forces to overtake and destroy the Israelites:
But God doesn't call us to worship Him whenever or wherever it's most comfortable, convenient or in a situation that "makes sense" to us. No, instead, God calls His children to worship Him anywhere and everywhere and ALL THE TIME! Our Father God expects us to even be able to worship Him before the presence of our enemies so that they will know that we do not fear those that can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. No, instead we fear [revere] the One [God] who can destroy both soul and body in Hell. (Matthew 10:28)
Listen to what King Jehoshaphat says to the Lord God Almighty in 2 Chronicles 20:6-9 & 12 when he is faced with the armies of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who joined forces to overtake and destroy the Israelites:
"O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in Heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in Your hand, and no one can withstand You. O our God, did You not drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying, 'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in Your presence before this temple that bears Your Name and will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and save us....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."
The best part is what happens in verse 21:
"After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise Him for the splendor of His holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
'Give thanks to the LORD, for His love endures forever.' "
Here is King Jehoshaphat, the King of Judah, surrounded by his enemies, marching out to battle and instructing the people to "sing to the LORD and to praise Him"! WOW!!! Now that's some serious, focused, wholehearted worship!
But wait, King Jehoshaphat isn't the only one who did this! Queen Esther also worshiped in the presence of her enemy in (Esther 4:8-16, 5:1-8, 7:1-4,) when she was faced with the threat of the annihilation of her people, the Jews. Queen Esther worshiped God by trusting in Him for the deliverance of her people, even if it meant that she might die in the process of trying. She had resolved to worship God and trust Him over the fear of man and her dire circumstances. To top it off, she even invited her peoples' enemy, Haman so he could witness how a lover of Jesus Christ worships the King of Kings. And how the King of Kings responds to the adoration and worship of His lover, His Bride - the Body of Christ.
But wait, King Jehoshaphat isn't the only one who did this! Queen Esther also worshiped in the presence of her enemy in (Esther 4:8-16, 5:1-8, 7:1-4,) when she was faced with the threat of the annihilation of her people, the Jews. Queen Esther worshiped God by trusting in Him for the deliverance of her people, even if it meant that she might die in the process of trying. She had resolved to worship God and trust Him over the fear of man and her dire circumstances. To top it off, she even invited her peoples' enemy, Haman so he could witness how a lover of Jesus Christ worships the King of Kings. And how the King of Kings responds to the adoration and worship of His lover, His Bride - the Body of Christ.
In Psalm 23:5, King David declares:
"You [God] prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."
King Jehoshaphat, Queen Esther, and King David are not the only people who learned the art of worshiping our great and awesome God in the presence of their enemies. There are many, many others who learned to do the same, but too many to note here in this post. :-) What a great problem to have! If you're interested in finding out more about how to do this and who else in the Bible has exampled great and powerful worship, I encourage you to search God's word and discover them for yourselves.
And if you'd like to bless me, please write to me and share with me what you found or how God has helped you worship in the presence of your enemies.
And if you'd like to bless me, please write to me and share with me what you found or how God has helped you worship in the presence of your enemies.
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