This Popular Elevation Worship Song is NOT RECOMMENDED!

There is a popular worship song by Elevation Church that many Christians, worship leaders, and churches have jumped on the bandwagon to use in their worship services. However, we need to take a step back and analyze this song for theological accuracy. This video will provide my thoughts on this very popular worship song by Elevation Church. 

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[jasonireland]

Psalm 18:3. “I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

[ponhillier]

What I got out of it is “enemies” are spiritual enemies and when I’m praising God other voices are “drowned” out.

[yolisabeauchamp]

"Praise is the weapon, my enemies drown in" is actually my favourite lyric. It's pretty clear that you can use praise to God to drown out the voice of doubt, anxiety, and any evil speech and thoughts. It's a beautiful song and I listen to it almost everyday and I recommend it everyone here❤

[SheilaDay-lvfb]

When I praise the effects of my enemies are not controlling me My focus is on the Lord not listening to the enemy

[mtb]

I think it's poetic. My enemies are anxiety and depression..they drown while I praise. Where therapy and 12 steps have failed God makes the difference!

[created]

I am a worship leader and so when I listen to praise/worship songs I am always on guard what the lyrics are conveying, is it biblically sound etc.
And this song, ‘Praise’ by elevation worship is my absolute favorite ever since I discovered it on YouTube a few months ago. I sing it or listen to it almost everyday. This is a great praise song.
I cannot agree with the things that you are accusing them of. Like a lot of commenters already said, we are talking about spiritual enemies here, i.e. the evil spirits, principalities etc. Not physical enemies (human). No, our enemy is never a human being (even though they could be used by the evil ones to hurt us)
The lyric is beautiful, it reminds me of when the Israelites walking through the Red Sea when the Egyptians were drown.
I appreciate that you bring up these topics and so people are more aware of the theology these worship songs are preaching, but this song is really not what you are saying.
Thank you and God bless.

[sidwhiting]

First, I appreciate the desire for holiness and accuracy in worship. We should all have that desire and practice so that we may worship in spirit and in truth. Our pastoral team does review the lyrics of all songs used in corporate worship. This song, "Praise", has passed the test for us.
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Now, a few items to address:
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4:15 - No, we're not teaching people that our physical enemies drown in our praise. Any Christian who has read the Book of Ephesians knows what this means. We're discussing spiritual warfare. Our enemies are not flesh and blood, but rather they are the rulers of darkness in this age and the spiritual forces at work against us. This is simply a metaphor. Metaphor is used throughout the Bible in the Book of Psalms in particular, which is the Bible "manual of praise" for lack of a better term. There are tons of metaphors in it, none of which are meant to be taken literally. So if we have a problem with modern praise songs using metaphor, then much of Psalms much also be discredited.
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Regarding Old Testament style miracles happening: I'm not a charismatic, but I attend and worship at an Assemblies Church. None of us think bread is going to rain down from heaven (unless that's a metaphor for receiving blessings), we don't think walls are going to fall down, nor do we think the rivers are going to part. Again, this song is a metaphor. You're reading it literally. We don't take it that way... at all! There are tons of traditional songs that use metaphors, and I don't see people worrying about them. "Lift you up on eagles wings".... no one expecting an eagle to pick you up on the way home from church if you veer off the road. "A Mighty Fortress is our God"... no one is expecting God to built a moat and walls around your house. "Jesus Savior pilot me..." no one expects us to sell out house, buy a boat, and have God directly steer us on the oceans.
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Regarding instant solutions: no one expects such things, again, unless you're in a Word of Faith or Prosperity Gospel church, which has a lot more to fault than simply misusing worship music. Rather, lifelong praise of God and prayer to him are the goals regardless of the scenarios we find ourselves in. Does God grant specific release from physical ailments and material blessings? Yes, on occasions he does, but there's no expectation of a 1 for 1 tit for tat, nor is there any guarantee at all that we will receive healing or blessings. Regardless, there are plenty of examples of people praying ceaselessly to God for relief in the Bible: Hannah (the Prophet Samuel's mother) asking for a son; Paul asking for relief from his 'thorn in the flesh'. One person's prayer (Hannah's) is answered favorably; the other's (Paul) is left to endure with God strengthening him. Why not praise God in the same way? Don't worry: we don't see God as a genie. There is nothing in this song that suggests instant gratification, so I do not understand why that was brought up as a point of contention. Do some churches misuse this song that way? I'm sure there are. Blame the churches, not the song or songwriters.
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Regarding praise as a weapon: The Sword of the Spirit. God's Word? Yep. Any true use of God's Word is a weapon against the lies of Satan. This song contains many truths about God and his faithfulness. Thus, it can be a weapon against the slings and arrows of the evil one. We should always use the weapons (and armor) that God puts at our disposal. We can fill our mouths with praise rather than complaints.
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I look at this similar to when Jesus told his disciples: "Whoever is not against us is for us." These song writers are putting forth new songs for people to worship God with, and unless we can find direct, clear contradictions to scripture, I'd invite us to be a little less nitpick and bit more gracious. You may interpret the song strictly, so it's not good or healthy for you to use it. If someone's church hasn't been well-versed in Scripture to understand passages such as 'The Armor of God', then probably these aren't the best songs to use. My church is versed in those passages and therefore interprets much of the song metaphorically, and therefore we can and do use it with that in mind.
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One other thought: if these kinds of songs do confuse people in your congregation, what a great time to open up the Bible to Ephesian Ch 6 and do a series on "The Armor of God" and/or the Psalms!
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Submitted respectfully. Hopefully, I passed the "discernment" test. *grins

[munasheruguva]

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but the principalities of the air

[nancyrobinson]

From my personal experience, when I have been depressed both worship and praise shifts the entire atmosphere around me and my depression is chased away.

[-k_e_v_i_a_]

The phrase "Praise is the water that my enemies drown in" is a metaphorical expression that conveys the idea that when we choose to praise and worship God in the midst of difficulties or when facing enemies, it can bring about their defeat or downfall. In the Bible, we see examples of praise leading to victory, such as in the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, where the people praised God and their enemies were defeated without them having to fight. Praise can shift our focus from our problems to God's power, and in doing so, it can bring about deliverance and triumph over our adversaries.

[kristinedugger]

Sometimes the enemy is depression and praise to God is the cure because as we lift up God our spirit is refreshed.

[irlmusic]

Brother, you do err by not knowing the Scriptures! 1 Samuel 16:13 “… David took the harp and played it with his hand, so Saul would find relief and it would be good for him, and the evil spirit would depart from him.” AND THE EVIL SPIRIT WOULD DEPART FROM HIM! What is it about this verse that you do not understand? David was clearly using his God-given ability to drive away the evil spirit.
Are you implying that if David were also praising and worshiping God while he was playing the harp that it would somehow eliminate the effectiveness of David’s playing to drive away the evil spirit? If you read this passage you will also see that it does not say that God removed or dismissed the evil spirit. You can read into it as much as you want but the passage clearly states that the evil spirit departed as a result of David’s playing the harp. It does not say God removed or dismissed the evil, it states that David’s playing caused the evil spirit to depart.
This passage clearly reveals the power of music and who is to say that that power is not multiplied when we add praise and worship to the songs that glorify the creator of the heavens and earth?

It should be understood without saying that music can also cause great harm as we see from these satanic metal bands that lead many of our youth to suicide and murder.

The lyrics are clearly intended for the spiritual realm since believers are spiritual beings and understand the spiritual realm. As Christians we should all know this. Our enemy is in the spiritual realm and is more often than not manifested in the physical. It’s not people, it’s the adversary working through and influencing people.
When we pray to our great intercessor, he does not take people out, he works through the spiritual realm and addresses the demons at work.

Furthermore, you are leaving out the fact that this is very clearly a metaphor.

YES, The Bible clearly declares that music can drive away evil spirits as we see in first Samuel 16 with David playing the harp!
And again who is to say that adding praise and worship to music would not amplify its effectiveness?

The lyrics of the song “Praise” stand correctly!

Furthermore, where in the Bible does it state that God can no longer perform miracles similar to the ones that He performed in the Old Testament? And who is to say that one miracle supersedes another?

It’s so sad when Christians put God in a box!

[alexisayala]

Psalms 106: 10 "He saved them from those who hated them; he rescued them from their enemies.
11 But the water drowned their enemies; not one of them was left.
12 Then his people believed his promises and sang praises to him.

In 2 Chronicles 20, Three enemy nations had joined together to defeat Israel. King Jehoshaphat placed a choir in front of the army as they marched into battle. The Israelites started praising God, confusion ensued and the enemy was defeated.

[CKee]

I took the lyric "praise is the water my enemies drown in" as referring to spiritual enemies and problems in our life, but I didn't take it as meaning that praise would get all the enemies off our backs and solve every problem. I kind of took it as praise is good for the soul when we are going through rough times, so when we are praising our problems don't feel so large...as in "they drown" in comparison to God's goodness.

I wasn't sure how to explain that so hope it makes sense!

[colleenmeyer]

"Praise is the water my enemies drown in" is one of my favorite lines from this song. Because when we worship, whether with music or without, it readjusts our vision and sets our eyes on God and not on our problems. And if "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" and thus our enemies aren't physical, our spiritual enemies are drowned out and we leave the fight to the Lord.

[louibertescleto]

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

[sk]

Psalms 8:2

"Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."

[iknowbianca]

A few weeks ago, I was at a Prophetic Conference and I had a tough time focusing on the service because the enemy kept filling my mind with negative thoughts. (I was also fasting at the time.) In a still small voice, I heard the Lord say “Worship Me” and when I started worshiping, the negative thoughts stopped immediately. It was amazing! I literally saw a vision of a group of demons screaming in pain and covering their ears because they hated my praise.

Another situation happened where two of my friends in the body of Christ got into an argument. It was bad! I heard the voice of the Lord say “Worship Me”. I responded “Lord, how can I do that in this environment?” I heard Him say it again “Worship Me”. So I began to sing “I will exalt you” and 30 seconds later, these women apologized to each other and held hands and prayed. I felt a powerful wave of the Holy Spirit. The Lord taught me Praising Him destroys the attacks of the demonic spirits.

This is why I love that verse “My praise is the water my enemies drown in”. Worship is a spiritual warfare tool that we can use against the enemy. It’s so effective. I understand the importance of being biblically and theologically accurate but I know what my Heavenly Father said. Worship is a weapon!

[tiffanycooper]

Sometimes my enemies are my thoughts. So as for me my negative thoughts drown when I praise God. My praise and the power of God drown out the thoughts that try to plague my mind.

[Joann]

“Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in.” It means that, spiritually, God will protect you all the time. If you have faith to God there’s nothing to worry about.