The headlines on the televisions at the gym offered nothing but fear and frustration – overwhelmingly bad news. But for the first time in six years, reading the closed captioning as I ran on the treadmill, I didn’t feel alarmed. I didn’t even pray. Instead, the Spirit impressed me that it was time to worship. To praise God and expect what I’ve been praying for is already accomplished.

This happened two weeks ago. Later that day, a friend in another state sent me a text calling for the saints to worship, worship. That weekend, my pastor sent out this word from Junior DeSouza:

     “Enough weeping! The time of rebuilding has come, and the time of weeping is over. Answer me this: will your tears grow our vineyard, or your hands? I have sanctified our meeting place with your tears. Now the time has come for you to sanctify a dwelling place for me. Would you call upon me to meet with you, but not dwell with you?
    “Enough weeping! Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build our dwelling place, that I may take pleasure in it and be honored. Did I not say wherever I cause my name to be honored I will come to you and bless you? Arise and build! Arise and build! Rise to this new work that you may no longer lie in ruins and this reproach be removed from your head.”

“By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Matt. 18:16). God was confirming what I sensed at the gym. More testimony came in from a fellow intercessor who said this, “God is exhorting [us] to WORSHIP wholeheartedly, and as [we do that] together, strongholds of darkness will be broken over our region.”

The sound of marching in the balsam trees

When God’s people were most powerless, the key to their victory was worship. This was true for King Jehoshophat when two armies were coming against Israel (2 Chronicles 20), and it was the case for Paul and Silas when they were shackled in prison (Acts 16:25-26).

Remember David, inquiring of the Lord whether the Philistines would be delivered into his hands. God said, “It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then the LORD will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines” (2 Samuel 5:24).

For everyone, and the battle-weary or the discouraged especially, now is the time to worship. Sing in your car, sing in your kitchen, sing in the shower, but raise your voice! Sing in tongues, sing the scriptures. If you can’t bring yourself to sing, just name His attributes out loud.

The victory is ours — Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of armies, has gone ahead of us!