Monday, January 13, 2020, a group of intercessors gathered at the New Jersey state board of education to protest the rollout of a comprehensive LBGTQ curriculum for public schools to be implemented in September of 2020. Instead of protesting with signs, shouts, and anger, the group protested with praise and worship.

One week later, a different group of Christian parents and concerned citizens protested the removal of religious exemptions from a mandatory vaccination bill at the state legislature in Trenton. They also sang praises to God and prayed for religious freedom to be preserved. These worshipers placed their eyes squarely on God as the one who opens prison doors, raises the dead, and routs out armies.

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When the battle before us is larger than we can face in the natural, we are told to “Send Judah first!” The book of Judges is filled with stories about heroes who fought for righteousness and won! It’s no accident that Judges 1:1 begins with a question: “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” Verse two gives the profound answer: The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” The Hebrew meaning of the word “Judah” means “the praise of the Lord.” In a battle that is too big for human wit, might, and armor, the key to winning is to send Judah first! That’s what the New Jersey protesters did. In doing so, they activated a cry for the rest of the nation to join them in warfare worship.

This is aggressive faith in a God who hears and answers prayer. There is no judgment or condemnation in this type of warfare, but only genuine love for all the people and a belief in God to handle the situation His way, not man’s way.

This is not a new form of protest in our nation. One of the most significant examples is the release of the 53 slaves aboard the La Amistad, who were captured off the coast of Connecticut in 1839. Two years before their capture, the U.S. had outlawed the transport of slaves but had never tested the law in our courts. The La Amistad case would be the first test and would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, where the 53 men were granted their freedom. Believers vested themselves in the issue. They raised money for the men’s defense, and for the duration of the trial, a continuous stream of praise and worshipers stationed themselves outside the courthouse in a daily vigil as they prayed and sang praises to God. The intercessors realized that if these slaves were freed, a severe blow would be struck to the institution of slavery across the United States that would free, not just 53 slaves, but potentially add fuel to end the institution of slavery in our nation. The Supreme Court released the 53 but gave them no money to return home. The Christians again raised the money for their transport back to Sierra Leone. The prayers prayed to release the slaves reached beyond the immediate release of a few to become a beacon as the worshipers addressed the blight of slavery in the United States.

The battle for the minds and hearts of the children of our nation rages as one state after another passes laws to integrate the LBGTQ curriculum in its public school as early as kindergarten. This battle is huge, and winning is far beyond the scope of our human wisdom.

The New Jersey protesters pierced a veil for us in bringing to our attention the importance of praise and worship to not just deliver New Jersey’s children from an ungodly agenda but also to deliver the children in every state from the same evil intentions.

Pray: God, give believers across this nation the faith and grace to lift up their voices in unity with our brothers and sisters in New Jersey. Let our praise come before you as a prayer to deliver our children from the bondage of an ungodly curriculum. We recognize that we have no power or might to face this great army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. (2 Chronicles 20:13)