Psalms 8: Childlike Worship

“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When this says because of the praises and strength of children and babies “You have built a stronghold by the songs of babies. Strength rises up with the chorus of singing children. This kind of praise has the power to shut Satan’s mouth. Childlike worship will silence the madness of those who oppose you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬ ‭TPT‬‬

I can’t even imagine what it would be like to walk into a sanctuary where tens—hundreds—of adults were worshiping the Lord with reckless abandon. No holding back at all and no one at all around to see. That would be something to see, wholehearted praise, as if their very lives depended on it. When you think about It, their/our lives do!

"...this kind of worship silences the enemy." What does! What silences the enemy? I need that! That was my reaction to this part of scripture today. I want to silence the voice of the enemy once and for all. "Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants..." praise so pure, so unfiltered, so childlike that it shuts the enemy’s mouth. Talk about a full on gameplan for the enemy's lies and attacks.

So what is it about a child's worship that would be referred to as "having the power to shut Satan's mouth!" That is stinking powerful praise. Im thinking is it because children don’t worship with any kind of restraint. They don't care who's watching. They don’t wonder how they sound. They worship because their hearts are exploding and overwhelmed to the point they can't help and pour themselves out before the one that carries them. What's even cooler is this kind of worship builds a stronghold.

Worship isn’t just something we do—it’s a weapon if we’ll allow it to be.

If you know me or have read along with me long you'll know how much I love love love worship. Often It gives me Words and translates what Im feeling or needing and have no clue how to articulate. Makes sense how non-worship music, even when it’s harmless, can affect my spirit. I crave worship music the way some people crave quiet or caffeine. I play It in the background while I go about my day—It's comforting quite honestly and at this point I"ll take all the comfort I can get.

Then when I’m in a funk, or my mind feels foggy, or I can’t even seem to settle my mind enough to open Scripture I will put on praise and worship. Worship truly has been my lifeline on many days. When I don’t have words, worship gives me language. When I don’t have strength, worship carries me.

The Lord has always spoken to me through song, for as long as I can remember. Today when Psalms 8 started, "O Lord, our Lord, HOw excellent Is Your name In all the earth..." immediately I thought of a song mom played regularly by Sandy Patty, and I can still hear “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth.”  I didn’t understand theology at all when I was younger and I certainly wasn't aware of spiritual warfare but I loved a good beat. I was blasting out these words at a young age and they have built a great foundation for my beliefs today.

Somewhere along the way, many of us, myself Included, to restrain ourselves In worship. Somehow our worship needs to look proper or be acceptable. Funny that's not what I read in today's passage. I didn't read It needs to be on point or in tune either, it simply says our song builds strongholds...(I have to say I think I understand what is meant by "stronghold" but I looked it up to truly grasp it's meaning: In Scripture, a stronghold is a place of protection, like a fortress or even like a refuge if you can picture that.). Now that I can picture. There Is so much power In our praise especially if every song we sing or lyric we burst out builds a stronghold

I want a big and very strong refuge!

He truly Is Worthy of It All  The older I get the more I cannot contain myself. He's worthy of it all, so worthy including me feeling out of my comfort zone. It's interesting as I continue to grow closer to the Lord it's like any cares I used to have, "what will others think...am I offending anyone...do I look weird..." no longer crosses my mind. That’s childlike worship. No striving. No performance.

Funny as Im typing this the lyrics of Reckless Love come to mind—not reckless as in carelessness, but reckless as in complete abandon. The kind of worship that throws dignity aside because God is worthy of everything anyway. It makes me wonder how differently we would worship if we truly believed our praise carries the kind of authority to shut the mouth of the enemy. How much freer would we be if we stopped worrying about who’s watching and started worshiping like heaven is listening.

Lord, teach me to worship You with childlike faith and reckless abandon. When I don’t have words, let worship speak. When I don’t have strength, let praise rise in me anyway. Let my worship become a stronghold, silencing the enemy and glorifying You alone. Amen.