WORSHIP THAT WARS 

By Zach Neese

And she [Leah] conceived again and bore a son, and said, "now I will praise the Lord." Therefore she called his name Judah. Genesis 29:35

Just as it is impossible to praise my wife’s beauty without words, or praise my son’s home run without a high five, or praise my daughter’s 4.0 GPA without telling her I'm proud of her, it is impossible to praise God without making it externally known. Praise cannot remain unexpressed in the vacuum of our hearts. Praise is the outward, physical expression of the posture of our hearts. 

One of the earliest mentions of the word “praise” in the Bible is found in Genesis 29:35. Overwhelmed with gratitude to God for the birth of her fourth son, Jacob’s wife, Leah, declares “Now I will praise [yadah] the Lord” and names her son Judah. 

The name Judah (Yehudah) is taken from the Hebrew word yadah, which is much meatier than our English word, “praise.” The root word of yadah is yad, meaning “hand.” Yadah literally means “to praise God with uplifted hands” or “to throw heaping handfuls of praise” to God! Why do we see so many people praise God with uplifted hands? Because it's one of the most natural physical responses to the goodness of God! 

But, yad does not simply mean "hand"; it also means “strength” and “power.” Consider that! When you need a miracle, there is inherent power in the praises of God! When your heart needs comfort or your path seems overwhelming, God provides strength through the upraised hands of your praise. 

For example, in Exodus 17:11, the sole deciding factor between Israel’s victory and defeat was Moses standing on the hilltop with his hands raised to the Lord. How can raising my hands on a mountain affect the outcome of a battle in the valley? Because your physical expression of praise releases spiritual power in your circumstances. Sometimes your upraised hands are literally the difference between life and death, victory and defeat. 

And is it any wonder that God chose David, a singing shepherd from the tribe of Judah, to sling the stone that slayed the giant? The same raised hand that threw praises to God threw the rock that toppled Goliath. That’s what praise is—worship that wars in God’s strength! 

Today, whether you find yourself on a mountaintop or in the valley of death’s shadow, you can lift your voice and hands to the Lion of the tribe of Judah and know: It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will deliver you as you lift your hands in praise. 

Prayer 

Father, I praise You today for the goodness You have so faithfully shown me, for Your constant sustaining strength in my life, and for Your promise to never leave me or forsake me. I lift my hands in gratitude, Lord. May Your presence and power be enthroned in my life today. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Memory Verse

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NIV)