Yet another scriptural example of the importance of praise is the story in 2 Samuel chapter 6 about a woman named Michal. She was married to King David when he brought the Ark of the Lord into the city of Jerusalem. At the time, the Ark had been in another part of Israel for many years. David was thrilled to be bringing it to the place where he lived because it carried God’s manifest presence, and David had always loved and prized the presence of the Lord.

He also knew that the way to bring in God’s presence is with praise. So as he accompanied the Ark into the city, David praised with great abandon. He whooped and hollered and “danced before the Lord with all his might” (v. 13 NKJV).

God must have absolutely loved it.

Michal, however, didn’t. She had the opposite response. She “looked through a window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart” (v. 16 KJV).

Personally, I think she reacted that way because she was under the influence of some kind of devilish, religious spirit. Those kinds of spirits hate exuberant, whole-hearted praise. They want our worship of God to be restrained and controlled. They don’t mind if we just sit in our seats at church and think happy thoughts. But they want us to be quiet about it because they know if we “shout aloud for joy” (Ps. 132:16 KJV), the invading presence of God almighty will show up—and then they’ll have to leave!

Although it’s sad to say, David’s wife sided in with the Devil that day. She went with his program and paid a high price for it: she became barren for the rest of her life.

What does it mean to be barren? For Michal it meant she could have no children. It meant she was literally, physically infertile.

For us as believers, however, barrenness often represents a spiritual condition. It can refer to an inability to produce godly fruit in some area of our lives. It can mean that some part of us is bound or blocked in a way that prevents us from experiencing the full manifestation of God’s presence and promises.

Spiritual barrenness, like physical barrenness, is a sad condition. But it doesn’t have to be a permanent one. There’s a cure for it—a praise cure! And Isaiah 54 tells us how to take it. There, the Lord says:

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife ... Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. (vv. 1–3 KJV)

Isn’t that interesting? Michal became barren because she despised praise, and the woman in Isaiah 54 overcame barrenness by singing the praises of the Lord. That should be a lesson to us as believers. It should remind us that whenever we’re dealing with a hindrance of the Devil or whenever we need to shake loose from some kind of bondage that’s blocking our fruitfulness, we can praise the Lord and His invading presence will enter our situation and change it!

The Power of A Thousand Hallelujahs
“But, Lynne,” you might say, “are you really sure the praise cure will do for us what it did in the Bible? Have you actually seen it work?”

Yes, I have—many times. I’ve seen it not only in my own life but in the lives of others.

I’m thinking right now of a pastor I know who lives in a communist nation where the government persecutes Christians. I’ve visited his church a couple of times. A few years ago, by a miracle, the government issued him some land to build on. A military General actually came to the church and delivered the news. “The property is yours,” he said.

The pastor was excited, of course, and since the next day was Sunday, the church congregation decided they would meet on their new property. When they arrived, the General was there again to meet them—this time with bad news. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Everything has changed. The government is taking back this land. You can’t build on it after all.”

Do you know how the pastor responded?

He didn’t cry and get discouraged. On the contrary! He realized he was facing a barren situation and that the Devil had thrown an obstacle in their path to keep them from doing what they needed to do. So after the General left, that pastor laughed and laughed! He said to his congregation, “We’re going to praise God that this property belongs to us.” Then he led the church in song and everybody shouted and lifted up their voices with a thousand hallelujahs.

The next day, the General came back. “They changed their minds again,” he said. “The property is yours.”

Precious praying friend, the praise cure will do the very same kind of thing for you. So don’t forget to use it. When you’re facing any kind of problem you just can’t seem to break through, spend extra time praising and worshiping the Lord. Let Him take His highest place in your life. Draw near to Him and magnify Him until His invading presence comes on the scene, scorches every work of the Devil and knocks every hindering wall down flat!