Posture in Worship

The Hebrew letter that is associated with the month of Nissan is the letter Hei. What I love about the Hebrew language is that it speaks to us in pictures. The pictograph of the letter Hei is a man with his hands raised. This is a posture of both receiving and giving. We give Him our praise and we receive all the benefits of being in the presence of God. He is always present, but worship stirs up an awareness of His presence and invites us to move closer to His heart.

“Listen to the truth I speak: Whoever does not open their arms to receive God’s kingdom like a teachable child will never enter it.”

Mark 10:15

Lifting holy hands to God is one of the most beautiful expressions of worship. This is because it causes us to become childlike, running to our Father with hands up, ready to be held by Him. Jesus told us that the Kingdom realm is only open for those who come to God as a beloved child. When we allow our bodies to move in a way that expresses this openness and childlike faith, a realm of the Spirit begins to open up for us. God’s love and mercy compel us to run to the Lord with open arms. We do not have to hide behind a veil of separation anymore, for Jesus paid a high price to tear that veil in two. If we can grab a hold of this concept of supernatural mercy and love from God our Father, then we will be able to run to Him like a child and sit on His lap. Oh, to trust Him more! How do we get back to that place of uninhibited trust?  The answer is simple.  We come to Him and receive.  Come freely and boldly to where love is enthroned, receive mercy’s kiss, and discover the grace needed to strengthen every weak area in our lives.

Hosting His Presence

Israel became a people of praise. They learned how to host God’s presence and they understood that they were created to become praise to God and a blessing to the entire earth. God has extended this call of worshipping people to those in Jesus. We are to carry on the hosting of God’s presence through the new covenant, which removes barriers and obstacles to communing with God. King David got a prophetic revelation of this when he was angry with God for Uzziah dying from touching the ark of the covenant. This frustration led him straight into the place God was going to take His people into with worship. David represented the new way to be human, serving God as a kingly priest. We are now called a royal priesthood, and with this calling comes the responsibility of learning to host God’s presence in our homes, in our workplaces, and everywhere we go.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

Hebrew Words for Praise

There are so many words in Hebrew that are translated to mean praise in the scriptures. Notice the differences and similarities between the words. And you will also see the Hebrew letter Hei (ה) in every word below!

• Halal (הָלַל) – to shine, to boast, to brag, or rave about God even to the point of appearing foolish
• Yada (יָדָה) – To lift up hands in praise, to give thanks, acknowledge God’s works
• Hillul (הִלּוּל) – Rejoicing, a celebration of thanksgiving for harvest
• Tehillah (תְּהִלָּה) – song of praise, giving glory to God; praising the qualities, deeds, or attributes of God
• Todah (תּוֹדָה) – To extend the hand and to thank, to give a thank offering, and to praise His goodness
• Teruah (תְּרוּעָה) – To split the ear with sound; an alarm, signal, sound of tempest, shout of joy; a battle cry

Jericho: Israel’s 1st Battle Under Joshua

The story of Jericho is one to reflect on during the month of Nissan, and that is because of the strategy the Lord had them use to take the city. There is so much revelation found within this story that I believe the Lord wants to show us this month. Israel used to be nothing more than slaves in the land of Egypt, but the Lord took them out of Egypt and was bringing them to the promised land. You are probably already familiar with the issues that Israel faced in the wilderness. Not only were they attacked shortly after leaving Egypt by the Amalekites, but they also struggled with idolatry at Mt. Saini, jealousy/rebellion against God’s appointed leaders, doubting God’s faithfulness to provide for them, and giving false testimony about Israel’s ability to conquer Canaan. The people of Israel had lived a large majority of their lives in slavery, and they did not know how to operate under the new freedom and responsibility that God had given them. So, they failed the test and did not make it to the promised land. All except for two men, Joshua, and Caleb.

Joshua took over as the leader of Israel after Moses had died. After crossing the Jordan river, there were two specific rituals that took place. The first was circumcision, which is symbolic for setting yourself apart to God, which now as believers represents the circumcision our hearts. The Israelites had to be circumcised to take part in the second ritual which was Passover. The celebration of Passover was a reminder for Israel of the God that goes before them and delivers them from every strong enemy. Can you see the strength that God was building in His people before they went into battle? They could not approach Jericho without God’s marking (circumcision was a way that God marked His people) and remembering their salvation. Making Jesus our Lord and King is what sets us apart from others today, and celebrating communion is what we should do often to remember the salvation that Jesus provided for us. These two things prepare us for every battle in our lives, and without them, there can be no victory. We need to remember that is by faith that we are not only saved but we also overcome every obstacle to our mission of following the Lord.

Shortly after Israel celebrated Passover, the Commander of the Lord’s army (the pre-incarnate Christ) gave Joshua instructions on how they were going to take the city of Jericho. But before His instructions, there was a promise of victory. This is how the Lord works, He gives us a prophetic word to stand on before the battle begins. This is so that every battle we face has a promise of God attached to it that carries us into victory. Notice the words He uses, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand-” (Joshua 6:2). The battle was already been won because God had given Israel victory. This is the same word for us! We are God’s chosen people, and Jesus Christ has broken through every wall that stands in the way to our land of promise.

The strategy used in this battle is unlike any other found in scripture. They were not going to storm the gates, they were going to walk around the city. They were instructed to walk around the city for six days, keeping their mouths shut. The only sound that would be heard was the marching of their feet around the wall. Marching was symbolic of persistent obedience. There is power in the unity of God’s people to persist in accordance to God’s instructions. What’s also interesting is that it wasn’t after 6 days that the walls would fall down, it was the seventh day. This is significant if you remember what God did on the sixth and the seventh day of creation. God made man on the sixth day and rested on the seventh! I believe God was showing us that we cannot win battles in our own strength or works, but when we rest and lean on the strength of our powerful God, we have the victory!

On the seventh day of marching around the city, they were to blow seven trumpets and shout. When they did this, the walls of Jericho fell down. The Hebrew word Teruah is found in Joshua 6:5 where it says, “the people shall shout with a great shout.” This great shout was announcing the presence of God! There is a praise of the believer that will split the ears of demons as we go into battle, announcing the very presence of Yahweh. We must open up our mouths to release the shout of praise. This great shout of praise is the sound of breakthrough, and that is what Nissan is all about. In the month of Nissan, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who broke out of hell, gave us victory over sin, and our eternal salvation! It’s said by many Messianic Rabbis that Jesus was most likely born on the Feast of Trumpets, so His coming (the presence of God) into earth was announced the same way! And when He comes back there will also be another trumpet sound. This is a sound of victory to God’s people, but in contrast it is a sound of defeat to the enemy. The final trumpet will announce the end of Hell’s kingdom.

Thanking God for Deliverance

This month of Nissan is a time to “watch” your speech. Practicing this will strengthen your ability to see how God has delivered you and cause you to believe that He will deliver you again. We are told in the Word that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Proverbs 15:7), so guarding your heart and mind are key for us to keeping our mouth from speaking death, word curses, doubt, and mumbling. Psalm 100:4-5 says this, “You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise. Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful name! For Yahweh is always good and ready to receive you.” Nissan, being the month when Passover is celebrated, causes us to remember God’s judgement had passed over the blood that was on the Israelite’s doorposts. This is a month to remind the enemy that the blood of Jesus says, “PASS OVER!”

On Wednesday night, in a dream, I saw all the elites of the world gathered to celebrate something they called “the Feast of Luna.” Suddenly a shofar sounded in my dream and caused a great disruption to the feast. Then the Lord told me that practicing thankfulness is our weapon this month. He said, “In everything, GIVE THANKS!” When I woke up, I asked the Lord what this meant, and He reminded me the name Luna is related to the moon. So, as I researched the Feast of Luna, I found this was an actual celebration that takes place on March 31st. It was a night dedicated to the full moon goddess Luna (Rome). In Islam, Ramadan is dictated by the lunar cycle, beginning, and ending with a crescent moon (the beginning of Ramadan starts on the evening of April 1st). Now, the moon was created by God to glorify Him, but Satan and the rebellious angels have used God’s creation to lure humans away from worshiping God and begin to worship false gods (which are just fallen angels). The Lord was so clear about how thanking Him was the worship needed to protect and deliver us from the enemy’s schemes. In our home, we have decided to write down something we are thankful for at every meal. The kids are leading the way with this, and we have noticed a shift in the atmosphere of our home! I would encourage you to join with people in your home and church and give thanks! And play the sound of the shofar. Even if you don’t have a shofar, there are so many beautiful videos online that you can play in your home as you announce the Lord coming to fight your battles in the heavenly places.