“Prayer is the difference between you fighting for God and God fighting for you. The same is true of praise. When we hit our knees in prayer, when we lift our voices in praise, God fights our battles for us! . . . Whatever you don’t turn into praise turns into either pride or pain.”- Mark Batterson
On Day 28 (“Prophesy Your Praise”) of Do It for a Day, Mark Batterson tells the story of Vedran Smailkovic. On May 27, 1992, during the Seige of Sarajevo by the Yugoslav People’s Army, a bombshell exploded. The blast killed twenty-two innocent civilians standing in a bread line. And it left a crater in the center of the city.
However, the day after the blast, Vedran Smailkovic, principal cellist in the Sarajevo Opera, took action. As a result, Vedran put on his tuxedo, grabbed his cello, and climbed into the crater. Then, seated on a scorched chair, he played Adagio in G Minor by Albinoni. So, why risk your life to play music? Because, Vedran answered, “My weapon was my cello.”
Hence, Pastor Batterson asks, What is your weapon on the battlefield between good and evil? Because our weapons possess the power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). In addition, Mark exhorts:
“God wants to use your weak hand as well as your strong hand. Either way, seed the clouds by climbing into craters and making music. Not only do we give God the sacrifice of praise, but we also prophesy our praise.”
Furthermore, the author stresses, we climb into the craters left by:
- pain and suffering with hope and healing
- injustice and lift our voices for the voiceless
- cancel culture and offer an extra measure of grace
In conclusion, Mark encourages you to make your life louder than your words. Above all, the key to this involves getting a word from God. And the loudest voice in your life must be the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. And then, and only then, you’ll have a prophetic voice. Next, use that voice to prophesy your praise!
Today’s question: What Scriptures help you know about God fighting for you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Always go upstream = habit cycles”
