By and large, the lyrics to this song are amazing! But two phrases have caused a bit of debate:

“‘’Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in.”
and
“Oh, my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down.”

As someone who prefers a more literal approach to lyrics and also one who doesn’t prefer to sing about Old Testament miracles as being prescriptive for us today, I struggled with these lyrics. Not in the sense that I thought they were unbiblical, but they didn’t resonate with me at all, and they certainly clashed with my preference. I also know the dangers of reading ourselves into Scripture and the “Jericho” line in particular struck the wrong chord with me. I simply feel new Christians may be misled into thinking their praise can speak things into existence or, in this case, out of existence. Side note: This is where solid, orthodox bible teaching can bring out the strength of a lyric like this and guard against the danger. We don’t have to avoid these lyrics if our teachers/pastors are properly expositing the word. 😉

If you’re at all in the same boat as me, maybe my perspective will help. I’ve decided to think about the lines in the following way, and I’m quite comfortable with my conclusion (i.e., I’m not begrudgingly settling on this.):

“‘’Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in”

First, let’s settle it at the outset: We aren’t saying that we want our enemies to literally drown. I doubt the writers meant it this way, and I certainly don’t when I’m singing it. To mean that would be a clear contradiction of the New Testament command to love and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5).

The line is metaphorical; this is my interpretation:

Praising God when people around me vehemently oppose God and his statutes is beneficial to me and is a faithful witness to Christ. It’s beneficial to me in that my praise and obedience drowns out the noise they make, and teaches me disciplined worship and devotion to God. It’s a witness to them because it shows my Holy Spirit-enabled devotion to the Lord and that I am willing to walk the walk, despite their attempts to malign him and me. This may help them see that our God is real and alive, and they should take time to consider what this means for the present and eternity.

“Oh, my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down”

I think it’s critically important to understand that our praise doesn’t do anything in and of itself. It’s not the power of our praise; it’s the power of the God we are praising! The story of Jericho highlights the importance of heart-motivated belief and obedience in the Christian’s life. When we obey God because we love and trust God, we are clearly in the will of God. Being in the will of God (i.e., walking by the Spirit as seen in Galatians 5) brings peace, victory and joy, even in the midst of trial and adversity. In this context, trial and adversity can be likened to Jericho. It’s important to embrace that it’s not the outcome that matters; it’s trusting, obeying and loving God despite the outcome—that’s real victory (John 16:33, 1 Thes 5:16-18, Paul’s entire ministry, etc.). And that’s a large part of our Christian walk: simply trusting and praising God through our circumstances, which this song also sings about. Love it!

Significant side note not related to the lyrics

I have spoken with many people who struggle with the performance-driven style of Elevation Worship’s most recent offerings. I’m having a difficult time with this as well. At the same time, I am trying to be more charitable in these situations than I have in the past. As such, I’ve taken more time to consider this before coming to a conclusion or judgment. Here are my thoughts.

I’m sure because the cameras are always on them, it’s hard to resist “looking the part”, as this environment appeals directly to our flesh and pride. In my view, the words of the songs say one thing; but the actions, at times (read: NOT ALL THE TIME) say “look at me, look at us.” The rowdiness and the constant interaction between band members reminds me of a rock concert. Of course, I may feel differently if I actually spent time with them and knew them as people. I realize this. I’m simply sharing what I’ve been feeling the last few years. Transparency is important.

Here’s how I am dealing with this: I, too, love to express joy by singing, shouting and moving. Without doubt, I believe the believer has the liberty for expression in worship, provided it’s motivated by a love for God; a joy over who he is and what he’s done in redemption; a gladness to be singing with his people; and a desire to have all we do point to Christ. By default, this means our expression must be governed by the fruits of the Spirit. I’m simply cautioning against emulating their style of worship in the attempt to “look the part.”

The danger is in looking and acting a certain way from a place of idolatry and pride, rather than the way we look and act simply being a result of genuine expression in worship.

I try to keep the constraints I mentioned at the forefront:

• Love for God
• Joy over who he is and what he’s done in redemption
• Gladness to be singing with his people
• A desire to point people to Christ
• Governed by the fruits of the Spirit

If you’re struggling with this like I am, I hope it’s helpful to know you’re not alone. In the end, I can’t at all judge their style of expression; it’s not sinful. I also can’t judge the hearts of the individuals, despite the overall theme of Elevation’s public ministry being prosperity-gospel focused. They’re not rolling on the ground, convulsing, screaming uncontrollably or any of the other expressions that are clearly in contradiction to the fruits of the Spirit. If it ever comes to that, a line must be drawn.

I try to force empathy and charity by creating the following scenario: If a few of my good friends, who I know belong to God and believe true things about him, acted in a similar way, I wouldn’t doubt the authenticity behind their actions. This is because I know them and, based on the fruit in their lives which comes from an orthodox understanding of Scripture, I conclude they believe in and belong to the one true God; it’s really that simple.

In the end, this is a case of my personal preferences colliding with another’s. In these situations, it’s my responsibility to be charitable. I also know that the truth contained in the song is God’s truth; it doesn’t belong to man. I don’t care what the intent is—if the lyrics are God’s truth, I’m completely okay with singing the song with God’s people.

My goal in bringing this up was to be transparent with my struggles in hopes of helping someone else who may be feeling a similar way. I hope it did just that.

Coram Deo,

Troy, GuitarforHISGLORY