1 Samuel 16:23 “Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.” Today's episode shows us how powerful music can be. It can send evil spirits packing. It also shows us different methods of praise. If you don't like music and singing, that doesn't mean you can't praise the Lord. You can praise Him with your words. At the end of this work, I give homework to help you have more praise in your life. Check it out! Music: "Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
He Played His Lyre, and The Evil Spirit Would Leave!
1 Samuel 16:23 “Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.”
When I heard about this verse, I loved it because it shows us another example of the power of music. When David played his lyre, the evil spirit would leave Saul. Did you know that music could set you free from evil spirits? Are you starting to see the power of praise and worship? Are you starting to see the power of music and singing? Praise and playing musical instruments have been setting captives free for a very long time.
God instructed Joshua to have the Israelites march around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, with priests blowing trumpets and the people remaining silent. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. When the priests sounded the trumpets, Joshua commanded the people to shout, and the walls of Jericho collapsed. God allowed the Israelites to take this city. (Joshua 6:1–20)
God reduced Gideon’s army from thousands to just three hundred men so that Israel would know the victory came from Him alone. At God’s instruction, the men carried trumpets and torches instead of swords. When they blew the trumpets and shouted, God threw the Midianite army into confusion, and the enemy turned on itself. Israel won the battle without fighting by strength, showing that obedience, proclamation, and trust in God released His power. (Judges 7:1–22)
When King Jehoshaphat faced a vast enemy army, he sought the Lord, and God declared that the battle belonged to Him. Jehoshaphat sent singers ahead of the army, praising God as they marched into battle. As they worshiped, the Lord caused the enemy armies to turn on one another, and Judah did not have to fight at all. The victory came through praise, revealing that worship invites God to act powerfully on behalf of His people. (2 Chronicles 20:1–30)
While imprisoned in Philippi after being beaten and chained, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God in the middle of the night. As they worshiped, a sudden earthquake shook the prison, opening the doors and loosening everyone’s chains. Rather than escaping, Paul and Silas remained, leading the jailer and his household to salvation. Their praise not only brought physical freedom but also opened the way for lives to be saved. (Acts 16:22–34)
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood before King Nebuchadnezzar and refused to bow to the golden image, declaring their unwavering faith in God. They proclaimed that God was able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but even if He did not, they would not worship any false god. Their words were an act of praise rooted in trust—honoring God above fear, outcome, or survival. Their worship was not expressed through song, but through bold confession of God’s power and faithfulness in the face of death. (Daniel 3:16–17)
I like this example because it shows us that there are many ways to praise. If you don’t like music, if you don’t like singing, that doesn’t mean that you can’t be set free by praise and worship. There are so many ways to praise the Lord. Music happens to be my favorite, and for me, one of the easiest, because if I don’t know what to say, there are plenty of others who have written beautiful songs who do know what to say. However, if you don’t like music or singing, don’t count yourself out. You can praise the Lord with your writing, with your words said outloud. You can praise the Lord with gratitude or in the things you say to others. There isn’t just one way to praise the Lord. I pray that by the end of this series, you understand that there are so many different ways to praise. There is a way for everyone.
When King Hezekiah received a threatening message from the Assyrian king, he took the letter to the temple and spread it before the Lord. In prayer, Hezekiah praised God as the one true Lord over all kingdoms and asked Him to act so that all would know His power. God responded by promising deliverance, and that very night the Assyrian army was defeated without Judah having to fight a single battle. Hezekiah’s prayerful praise and trust in God’s sovereignty led to a decisive victory and public recognition of the Lord’s supremacy. (2 Kings 19:14–37)
Again, this is a different kind of praise. King Hezekiah went in front of the Lord and presented the letter from his enemies. He then praised God as the one true King and asked God for help. Do you see how easy it can be to praise the Lord at times? All it says that he did was to praise the Lord as the one true King over all kingdoms. This is why I have placed a link in the previous episode for the praise sheets that I received at my prayer group. However, you don’t even need those sheets. You can simply tell the Lord how great you think He is. I tend to say, “You are the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You are the Almighty One. We worship you. We adore you, and we glorify you.” You can say whatever it is you think about the Lord.
My homework for you today is to stop and think about 5 things you can say to the Lord to praise Him. What is it you think of Him? What do you know to be true about Him? Once you have these 5 things, you can have fewer or more; I just randomly decided on 5. Once you have these, then I want you to say them every single day to the Lord. It doesn’t matter when you say them, but try to say them every day and watch how your life changes. Watch how your trust in the Lord begins to grow because you are reminding yourself every day how amazing He is. If you have to ask the Lord for something, start with these few praise statements and then ask Him. Watch to see if there is any difference in the number of answered prayers, or in the way they are answered.
This is just one tiny way to add more praise into your life without going overboard or taking up a lot of extra time. Just give it a try. What have you got to lose? What could you gain? Trust me, more praise and worship in your life is exactly what you need right now. I know I may not know you, but I know this is what we all need right now. We need to replace the worry and anxiety of this world with praise and worship, and we then watch our lives feel a bit easier.
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask you to bless all those listening today. Lord, I ask you to show them the power of praise and worship. I ask that you bless them with graces when they are praising you. I ask that you open their eyes to the ways that praise and worship are changing their lives. Help us to see with your eyes, Lord. Help us to notice more of you in our lives. We love you, Lord, and we ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name, Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus! If you know there’s more to your faith than routine and rules, I’d love to stay connected with you. You can join my email list to receive scripture-rooted encouragement and reflections to help you walk boldly with Jesus in your everyday life. You can sign up through the link in the show notes (CLICK HERE)—I’d love to have you with us. I look forward to meeting you here again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you just as you are, and so do I. God is on your side, and we are rooting for you—always. Have a blessed day
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in September 2025 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “My children, you are precious to me. I took each of you with me to the cross. You were there with me that day, each of you.”