Written November 3, 2016 by Byron Wicker
“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 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 chains were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26).
Dear People Who Keep Company with God,
Years ago, I received an urgent call that a young man in our church had been rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with Leukemia. It was around midnight when I arrived. I will never forget walking into the darkened hospital room. There was a heaviness in the air, but his mom, being a worshipper, soon jumped up and said, “I can’t just sit here!” She began to dance and worship the Lord. Something profound happened at that moment. It was an act of humility on her part. She was declaring, “I can’t fight this battle, but Lord you can.” It was total surrender. The Lord did fight that battle. The boy grew up, became a man, and is living a healthy and prosperous life.
Worship is always for God, and the purpose of worship is to glorify Him, but worship impacts us too. The inner freedom Paul and Silas experienced in the dungeon as they worshiped is also released within us when we worship. The Message Bible captures this so well. “Worship God if you want the best; worship opens doors to all his goodness” (Psalm 34:9). It’s much easier to hear God’s Voice when you’re in a posture of worship. Your focus is on Him so you’re ready to hear what He has to say. The Bible is full of stories of God’s presence and power manifesting when people turned toward Him in worship. Revelation flows in abundance in a house where God is truly worshiped. “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3). This is not just poetic metaphor; it is literal, it is practical, and it is for us. Worshipping God is the most effective way to resist the temptation to look at the enemy. It empowers us to keep our focus on the Prince of Peace rather than the prince of the power of the air. “David says concerning Him: ‘I foresaw the LORD always before my face, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken” (Acts 2:25).
Worship was the key to the success David experienced in his life. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7-8). The Key of David is a worshipping heart. As we turn to the Lord in worship, we open a door between heaven and earth. That is what Paul and Silas did that night in the dungeon, and the chains fell off. That is what my friend did that night in the hospital room, and it set in motion the healing of her son. Worship is a door, and as we walk through it, God opens other doors for us. Doors of fellowship, doors of intimacy, doors of deliverance, doors of healings and miracles and doors of answered prayer.
Many Blessings, BW