The Power of Singing Prayer
http://www.called2music.com/articles/13/1/The-Power-of-Singing-Prayer/Page1.html
LaMar Boschman
For over 25 years LaMar Boschman has been helping people connect with the presence of God in spiritual worship. He is a pioneer of the worship we experience today. Visit The Worship institute
By LaMar Boschman
Published on 01/13/2007
Discover a new dimension of prayer that will expand your prayer life.
The power of songs of prayer
She stood at the entrance of the holy tabernacle with a young bull that the priest had just slaughtered, a bushel of flour, a skin of wine and her three year old son. Tears were rolling down her cheeks because she was going to leave her only son with the priest.
She had been here several years previous and had wept bitterly praying that God would give her a male child. “If you give me a son I will give him to You for his entire life,” she promised God. Being barren was a horrible disgrace for a married woman. Now, she had a child – a male child.
She kept her vow and gave him up.
Grateful for her son, Hannah lifted her voice and began to sing a prayer to the Lord (1 Sam 2:1-10). It was a prophetic song that exalted the Lord – a combination of prayer, praise and prophecy all intertwined.
This prophetic prayer-song was not sung by a “prophet,” or an “intercessor” but a humble homemaker who sang by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As the wind of the Spirit of God blew through this holy woman, her prayer-song revealed the future and declared the Messiah’s kingdom.
This is the power of songs of prayer.
In the scriptures one of the original Hebrew words for prayer is “tephillah” (tef-il-law’).i In general terms it means “supplication to God” but also means “intercession, supplication for another.”
This tephillah is intercession prayer or supplication expressed in song. The Hebrews often sang their prayers (Isaiah 1:15). There are Hebrew and Greek words for prayer that suggest a direct petition or short, sharp cry of a distressed heart (Ps 30:2; 2 Cor 12:8) sung out in supplication.
As I stood on a platform in Manila, Philippines in front of over eight thousand worshipers that had gathered for the worship seminar the Holy Spirit arose inside of me and I began to pray singing. Several thousand worship ministries had come forward for impartation.
I sensed a tremendous presence of the Lord. All of the sudden there arose from those at the front a crescendo of prayer singing. I was deeply moved in my spirit as I heard the melodic cry from this crowd of worshipers. I am convinced this prayer or praise singing is a key opening up an artisan of the Holy Spirit in any situation.
One of the Hebrew words for praise “tehillah” and is one letter different from the Hebrew for prayer – “tephillah.” This word means praise, a song or a hymn of praise. It is found several places in scripture.
She had been here several years previous and had wept bitterly praying that God would give her a male child. “If you give me a son I will give him to You for his entire life,” she promised God. Being barren was a horrible disgrace for a married woman. Now, she had a child – a male child.
She kept her vow and gave him up.
Grateful for her son, Hannah lifted her voice and began to sing a prayer to the Lord (1 Sam 2:1-10). It was a prophetic song that exalted the Lord – a combination of prayer, praise and prophecy all intertwined.
This prophetic prayer-song was not sung by a “prophet,” or an “intercessor” but a humble homemaker who sang by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As the wind of the Spirit of God blew through this holy woman, her prayer-song revealed the future and declared the Messiah’s kingdom.
This is the power of songs of prayer.
In the scriptures one of the original Hebrew words for prayer is “tephillah” (tef-il-law’).i In general terms it means “supplication to God” but also means “intercession, supplication for another.”
This tephillah is intercession prayer or supplication expressed in song. The Hebrews often sang their prayers (Isaiah 1:15). There are Hebrew and Greek words for prayer that suggest a direct petition or short, sharp cry of a distressed heart (Ps 30:2; 2 Cor 12:8) sung out in supplication.
As I stood on a platform in Manila, Philippines in front of over eight thousand worshipers that had gathered for the worship seminar the Holy Spirit arose inside of me and I began to pray singing. Several thousand worship ministries had come forward for impartation.
I sensed a tremendous presence of the Lord. All of the sudden there arose from those at the front a crescendo of prayer singing. I was deeply moved in my spirit as I heard the melodic cry from this crowd of worshipers. I am convinced this prayer or praise singing is a key opening up an artisan of the Holy Spirit in any situation.
One of the Hebrew words for praise “tehillah” and is one letter different from the Hebrew for prayer – “tephillah.” This word means praise, a song or a hymn of praise. It is found several places in scripture.
The blend is beautiful
“He has put a new song in my mouth—praise (tehillah) to our God” (Ps. 40:3 NKJ)
“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises (tehillah) of Israel.” (Ps. 22:3 NKJ)
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (tehillah). Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps. 100:4 NKJ)
This is spontaneous praise that is sung to the Lord in which God is enthroned. It is also a doorway into His presence.
A lady approached me after a Heart of Worship seminar I was teaching. As we talked, she made an interesting confession: “When I pray I often sing my intercessions. I would say to myself, ‘Stop that. You are not part of the worship team.’”
It is interesting how our analytical western world-view separates the acts of worship into prayer, prophecy, praise, worship, music and dance. In our minds we are not to step out in these areas they are only for the “gifted ones.”
But, in the Eastern world – the context of Jesus and the Bible – these expressions overlapped and were part of every believer’s life. We all are to pray. We all are to worship. We all are to sing prayers and praise to the Lord. Not just those that have that “talent.”
One of my friends said the reason we have dance teams, worship teams and intercession teams is because the Christians are not dancing, worshiping or interceding. We have relegated that to specialists and they do it for us. But, we all are to sing, dance and pray.
The Holy Spirit is a singing spirit. He initiates and inspires ‘spiritual songs.’ (Eph 5:19). When we begin to pray it doesn’t take long and we automatically want to chant our prayers. This is not a musical mode of horizontal ministry but a mysterious quality that is vertical and supernatural.
There is an instance where two men in the New Testament were engaged in singing prayers – Paul and Silas. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25 NKJV). They were not only singing and then later spoke their prayers. Their prayers and songs were all mixed up into “pray-singing.” As they were praying they began to sing pouring out their hearts to God.
The word “hymn” in the Acts passage references the Paschal hymn of Psalms 113-118 that Jesus and the disciples sang at their last Passover meal (Matt 26:30). Though their bodies were beaten and bleeding, Paul and Silas were raptured with transcend emotion which resulted in vertical prayer songs. These two witnesses were elated by the Spirit of the Lord singing their praise and intercessions.
I want to encourage you to sing your prayers to the Lord. Let the songs of the Holy Spirit arise in you with the passion of intercession and praise. It all blends together. It is all good.
“But You are holy, enthroned in the praises (tehillah) of Israel.” (Ps. 22:3 NKJ)
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise (tehillah). Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Ps. 100:4 NKJ)
This is spontaneous praise that is sung to the Lord in which God is enthroned. It is also a doorway into His presence.
A lady approached me after a Heart of Worship seminar I was teaching. As we talked, she made an interesting confession: “When I pray I often sing my intercessions. I would say to myself, ‘Stop that. You are not part of the worship team.’”
It is interesting how our analytical western world-view separates the acts of worship into prayer, prophecy, praise, worship, music and dance. In our minds we are not to step out in these areas they are only for the “gifted ones.”
But, in the Eastern world – the context of Jesus and the Bible – these expressions overlapped and were part of every believer’s life. We all are to pray. We all are to worship. We all are to sing prayers and praise to the Lord. Not just those that have that “talent.”
One of my friends said the reason we have dance teams, worship teams and intercession teams is because the Christians are not dancing, worshiping or interceding. We have relegated that to specialists and they do it for us. But, we all are to sing, dance and pray.
The Holy Spirit is a singing spirit. He initiates and inspires ‘spiritual songs.’ (Eph 5:19). When we begin to pray it doesn’t take long and we automatically want to chant our prayers. This is not a musical mode of horizontal ministry but a mysterious quality that is vertical and supernatural.
There is an instance where two men in the New Testament were engaged in singing prayers – Paul and Silas. “At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (Acts 16:25 NKJV). They were not only singing and then later spoke their prayers. Their prayers and songs were all mixed up into “pray-singing.” As they were praying they began to sing pouring out their hearts to God.
The word “hymn” in the Acts passage references the Paschal hymn of Psalms 113-118 that Jesus and the disciples sang at their last Passover meal (Matt 26:30). Though their bodies were beaten and bleeding, Paul and Silas were raptured with transcend emotion which resulted in vertical prayer songs. These two witnesses were elated by the Spirit of the Lord singing their praise and intercessions.
I want to encourage you to sing your prayers to the Lord. Let the songs of the Holy Spirit arise in you with the passion of intercession and praise. It all blends together. It is all good.