When Your Strength and Song are in the Lord, You'll Win!

There are three times in the Bible where you will read these words:

“The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.”

Exodus 15:2 says, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.
Psalm 118:13-14 says, “[My enemy] pushed against me, and I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song; He has become my salvation.“
Isaiah 12:2 says, “Certainly God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.“

In each of the situations above, there is a unique and distinct power in the praise of the person who is speaking those words. The song of Moses in Exodus 15 was written immediately after the great and mighty triumph of God’s people crossing the Red Sea, which God had miraculously parted, escaping the world’s strongest military power – the Egyptians – and stepping into the freedom God had promised after a long season of enslavement. In response to that mighty, world-changing act of God was immediate and glorious praise, thanksgiving and the acknowledgement of His greatness.

If you’re feeling weak, you must give permission to the Lord to be strong for you, but that means you must also release control to Him,

In Psalm 118, the writer was surrounded, pursued, terrified and deeply distressed by people in his life who were coming against him – and even from some of his own bad choices! (Has that ever been you?) BUT. Then, after he stopped to praise and worship the Lord, his perspective of his situation completely changed and he wrote this, “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous: ‘The right hand of the Lord is valiant. The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord is valiant.’ I shall not die, but I shall live and declare the works of the Lord.” (Psalm 118:15-17) His faith was transformed through his worship as he found his strength AND song in the Lord through his own faith-filled testimony and exaltation. Why? Because the Lord dwells in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) and where the King is, there His power is as well.

When the Lord is Your Song, Your Strength is Supernatural

In Isaiah 12, the prophet Isaiah had just finished telling of “The Righteous Branch of Jesse” saying, “And there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord…who shall stand as a banner to the peoples. For him shall the nations seek. And his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11) And then he breaks into worshipping a Savior he would never know, who would take the wrath of God upon Himself! What a prophetic and powerful moment of praise!

The words “the Lord is my song” are very specific in these passages and what they literally mean in the Hebrew is this: “You are the subject of every song I sing, the words to worship, the melody to my music.” What a beautiful way to express love to Jesus Christ! But here is something even more powerful: The process in these passages is one that you can choose to follow in your own life.

The Lord is my strength – If you’re feeling weak, you must give permission to the Lord to be strong for you, but that means you must also release control to Him, sometimes moment by moment. Follow after the Lord with your whole heart. Lift your hands daily, open them as a prophetic act of surrender and let His strength show itself perfect in your weakness.
The Lord is my song – When your words are His Words, there is true power! Why? Because the Lord “watches over His Word, to see it performed.” (Josh. 1:12) It’s important to sing about God, but make sure you sing to Him as well. Opening your mouth and singing your praise to the Lord is an act of faith- especially when you don’t feel like it!! Those are different acts of worship, each with a unique anointing. When the Lord is your song, your words have true power.
The Lord has become my salvation – Your testimony of the greatness of God is how the world will change and turn to Him. Your story is continually being written which means His greatness is continually on display. If you worship Him continually, for the big acts and the small ones too, if He is your strength and “song”, the world will listen. The wells of salvation, from where your joy originate, will inspire and convict the world. They want what you have! They’re seeking it in every dark corner. You have the light!!