In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat is the King of Judah and is about to be attacked by the Moabites and Ammonites. When Jehoshaphat learns of this, his first response is to inquire of the Lord.
"Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, 'A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar' (that is Engedi). Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, and said, 'O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you. Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying, 'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before before this house and before you--for your name is in this house--and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.'" (vs. 2-9)
His prayer gives praise to the One and only God remembering how He has been faithful to them in the past. He gives credit to God for being mighty, majestic and powerful. And nothing can stand in His way!
Jehoshaphat is told by Jahaziel, son of Zechariah, descendant of Asaph not to be fearful or discouraged as God will take care of their enemies. Judah is given explicit instructions where to go and to stand firm and watch as the Lord would act on their behalf. In response, Jehoshaphat bows to the ground and worships the Lord. The next morning, they head out and Jehoshaphat gives godly encouragement then appoints men to sing to the Lord! As they are singing, God defeats the men from Moah, Ammon and Mount Seir.
"Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah andd the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, 'Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.' And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to the Lord and praise him in holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,
'Give thanks to the Lord,
for his steadfast love endures forever.'
And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. For the men of Ammon an Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they all helped to destroy one another." (vs. 18-23)
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are stripped and beaten with rods before being placed in the stocks in prison. Being a prisoner during the Roman era would have been far from pleasant! In fact, it would have been very depressing and uncomfortable. It was the middle of the night, hard to sleep in the stocks, exhausting, cut off from their friends and at the hands of evil men. Instead of crying out to God for help, their response was to sing praises to God! Then an earthquake happens. God rescues them.
John Piper shared a story about Jim Elliot I had not heard before in a sermon I listened to last week;
"January 8, 1956, Jim Elliot and four other young missionaries approached the jungle edge where the Auca Indians lived. Their last recorded act according to Elizabeth Elliot was to sing a song together:
We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day thy grace to know,
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
We rest on thee, and in they name we go.
All five of them were killed that afternoon. But they, too, were protected by God - protected from a fate far worse than death. They were protected from cowardice and unbelief and fear. And I think it would be fair to say - protected with song.
We have two great weapons in worship: the Word of God and song. So let us give heed to the Word of God and let us sing with all our heart."
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/ambushing-satan-with-song
So, do you sing when you are depressed, going through hard struggles? I confess, I don't. I tend to sing when I am happy. I remember singing hymns in church as a child. When I look back at those hymns, I now see lyrics that are solid in theology and truth and stories from the writers of those hymns that are full of faith. When I find myself singing those hymns, I can feel my spirits being lifted. I am also pondering the truths that I am reading, singing and hearing.
In closing, here is the hymn that Jim Elliot and the other four young missionaries sang on that day long ago as they went forth in faith, trusting in God's provision.
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