A Shout of Obedience Brings Down Walls

The book of Joshua chapter 6, it is describing two groups of people, an obedient group and a disobedient group. The Lord Himself came unto Joshua in chapter 5 verses 13-15, the Lord stood over him and he realized that it was the Lord and he begins to bow down and worship the Lord. The Lord then begins to tell Joshua to take off his shoes, for this is Holy ground (v15). You notice that the Lord had to tell Joshua to take off his shoes and even though Joshua fell down and worshipped the Lord, the Lord was teaching Joshua about obedience. The Lord said, “Take off your shoes, for this is Holy ground”, can you imagine if we came into our worship services with this kind of reverence and respect? I believe the Lord would speak to us, show us things and deliver us. Just imagine!

Now proceeding into chapter 6, the Lord explains to Joshua and says, “I have delivered Jericho into your hands and with its King and its fighting men. The story goes on to tell us how Joshua was to march around the city once a day for 6 days while not making a sound. Joshua tells the people this and then Joshua said on the 7th day, you all shout with a loud shout and the walls will fall down and you will take the city. This bible story to me is fascinating especially as a worship leader. It shows us just how important music, shouting and singing is to the Lord. There were only two instruments used in this victory, it was the rams horn (a trumpet) and their shout, yes their shout was an instrument too. There were no special effects, smoke machines or flashing lights etc., just rams horns and voices. Throughout the generations, genres in every denomination has had their own way of presenting how they feel praise and worship is done in the local church. Yes I know our times have changed since the bible days, but I can’t help wonder this, if all it took was a shout and some rams horns blown to take down a city and it’s powerful walls, then how important is our shout too? How about you, do you wonder the same thing? I also wonder in our worship services if rejoicing, shouting with joy before our Lord, we too could see cities and the nations changed, and maybe even revivals? The trend of worship services today in my opinion have become very solemn, let me explain; The word dictionary says the word solemn means to be dignified, no smiling or being cheerful and having deep sincerity. Please don’t get me wrong, I love it when there is a holy hush (presence) in the sanctuary for the Lord is present. But, again my opinion, I believe people can get so caught up in all the emotions of the song and what they are going through and of course there is nothing wrong with feeling the emotions, this is what is normal. But when the emotions are all about us and what we are dealing with, then we haven’t fully come with a heart of full adoration to our Lord that He is there to be praised and He will be the lifter of our heads. I tell my team quite often, we get blessed by our worship, but worship belongs to the Lord for we are here to lift Him up. There is nothing grander and more beautiful than a congregation worshipping the Lord together! There are times we can come into a service where we are heavy laden with burdens and that is what our worship services are for, to help with these feelings and hopefully the anointing lifts it off of them. This is what the Lord wants and He wants us to worship Him first and in doing so, in return we are lifted up as well. We must bring a sacrifice of praise to Him and allow Him to be able to move and change an atmosphere.

Ok, let’s get back to my opening statement, the book of Joshua is describing two groups of people, the obedient and the disobedient ones. Think about this, what if Joshua had not been obedient to the Lord and with His instructions? What if the priests and the people had not been in obedience to Joshua their leader and the orders he past down from the Lord? What if Joshua had said to the Lord, “Lord, these people will not listen and do as I say”, or the priest and the people saying, “Oh that Joshua, he is just trying to control us, we don’t see it the way he does! Grumbling and disobedient attitudes. With these types of attitudes they would have lost their victory. I am so thankful that all the parties here listened and were in agreement for they took the city! I don’t want to be the disobedient people found here in Joshua, for men, women and children lost their lives on that day.

If you are a worship leader or on a team or band member, you have been given instructions by your leaders to help lead the people of God into that Holy place. What an honor and a privilege given unto you. Our obedience to the Lord and to those over us whether we fully agree or not or like how it is being done, the act of obedience unto our leaders will create an atmosphere to where strongholds (walls) in peoples lives and even in our own lives will come tumbling down and they will be set free. This freedom comes with a price, Obedience! Let me ask you this, how has your obedience been serving under your leaders? Have you been grumbling and complaining? Have you been talking about them to other people on how you don’t agree with this or that or maybe your gift is not being used as often you think? Grumbling and having attitudes can halt your being used, just a thought. The Lord is looking for clean hands and a pure heart that He can use for His glory (Psalm 24:4). I know I have based this post off of Joshua chapter 5-6, and the “Walls of Jericho” coming down, but if you begin to study closely there were the two groups of people and then there were instructions from the Lord and these were very specific instructions too. The Lord is just that, very specific in how He wants things done. Our God is a very detailed and orderly God and I know for some people shouting unto the Lord joyfully is out of their comfort zone, oh, but there is such freedom in a shout (praise) for it brings victory! I have learned in my worship leading all of these years is that they will always be two types of worshipers, the very soft and the very loud or exuberant, that is me…we need both types, and all I know is that when I tasted and seen how rejoicing set me free and broke down strongholds (walls) over my life, and that my shout or my praise is a weapon for it truly has transformed my life! Makes you think on that 7th day, the sounds of those rams horns and the people shouting must have been off the charts and so powerful they didn’t have to touch the walls, the power of a shout knocked the walls down. Psalm 47:1, shout with a voice of triumph!