32:7 Girl, Part 4
by Paulette Stamper
You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7
So far, we have looked at what it means to hide in the Lord. When God’s daughters hide in Him and not from Him, He makes us courageous. We looked at what it means to be protected from trouble; He makes us audacious.
In the last part of our 32:7 Girl series, we will dive into one of my favorite Old Testament accounts and discover what happens when we tune our ears to the songs of deliverance sung over us. I’ll give you a hint … they remind us that we are victorious.
Scene One – 2 Chronicles 20:1-4
In 2 Chronicles 20, a pretty dramatic scene unfolds. Enemy armies were coming against Israel, and King Jehoshaphat knew that Israel didn’t stand a chance against them unless the Lord intervened. He was “alarmed,” and it certainly was a perfect opportunity to panic, but instead, he chose to proclaim a fast for all of Judah and to inquire of the Lord. People came from every town to seek help from the Lord.
Allow me to make the first of many obvious points:
As Christians in today’s culture, we are also surrounded by the enemy. The culture is growing increasingly hostile toward a biblical worldview and anyone who holds to it and dares to take a stand for truth. Are we panicked? Are we tempted to run and hide anywhere but in the Lord? Perhaps we can take a hint from Jehoshaphat’s response and gather together for prayer and fasting. As we will soon see, that choice is far greater than the choice of panic.
Scene Two – 2 Chronicles 20:5-12
King Jehoshaphat prays to the Lord in the presence of all the people. He begins with a trip down memory lane – recounting back to God His promise to give His people land and answer them and save them when they call on His Name. Why does Jehoshaphat spend time telling God what He has already done? Does God need to be reminded of His own actions or promises? Of course not. God doesn’t suffer from memory loss, but we do. We recount back to God what He has done, not for His sake, but for our own. Remembering God’s past faithfulness reminds us that He will be faithful again.
Jehoshaphat ends the prayer with a powerful faith statement, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (verse 12).
You don’t need me to point out the apparent application here, do you? Not only do we have times in our personal lives when we have no clue what to do, but also we are in a time of national unrest where many of us are left scratching our heads and wondering what we can do. We may not receive an immediate answer to our prayer, but we can resolve to keep our eyes on the Lord.
All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord. (verse 13)
At first glance, this verse may not seem to pack much of a punch, but I would like to argue otherwise. We have an image of a group of people standing idly, perhaps whistling a tune and drawing lines in the sand with their toes, waiting for something to happen. I don’t believe that’s what happened at all and I’ll show you why.
Consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-11, 13:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. … Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (emphasis added)
Standing is not passive. Standing is part of the battle plan. Think back to what the king and people of Judah did before they “stood before the Lord:”
They resolved to inquire of the Lord
They gathered together
They fasted
They prayed
They cried out to God to save them
Does any of that sound like they were just idly standing around? Hardly.
If we want to be 32:7 girls who hear the songs of deliverance sung over us, then we must participate (remember the Participation Principle?). “Songs of Deliverance” implies there has already been a deliverance – which means a fight was fought and won. How will we hear songs of deliverance and experience victory IF WE DON’T SHOW UP TO THE BATTLE?
That’s precisely what the Lord instructed King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah to do.
Scene Three – 2 Chronicles 20:14-23
I’ll give you the short version (I highly recommend you read the chapter yourself, you won’t be disappointed!). The Lord told them not to be afraid because the battle was not theirs, but His. They simply had to march out toward the enemy, and stand and see how God would fight the battle for them. Get a load of this – they put singers on the frontlines! Why? Because songs of praise bring victory! They marched toward the enemy singing praise to the God who had promised them victory. I’ll let you take a wild guess who won the battle. Hint – it had nothing to do with the army that was physically stronger.
If we want to hear the songs of deliverance, we need to sing our songs of victory.
Something powerful happens when God’s daughters hide in Him and not from Him – He makes us COURAGEOUS.
Something powerful happens when God’s daughters remember that He protects us from trouble – He makes us AUDACIOUS.
Something powerful happens when God’s daughters hear songs of deliverance – He makes us VICTORIOUS.
The world needs women who are courageous, audacious, and victorious. Will you be a Psalm 32:7 girl?
