Praise Opens Prisons (Zach Williams)
Verse 1:
Are you down? Smiling, but empty?
Anxious and heavy? Alone in the crowd?
Are you bound? Lost in addiction?
Ya can't seem to kick it?
Well I know a way out
So if you're ready for a breakthrough
There's one waiting in this place
No more shackles, no more shadows
No more shame
Chorus:
This is where the walls shake
This is where the ground quakes
This will be your jail break
Praise opens prisons
Feel those chains get looser
Feel your joy get truer
Glory hallelujah, praise opens prisons
Verse 2:
I have lived both sides of the story
Rock bottom and glory, so I understand
And brother it's time to lay down your burdens
Sister, you're hurtin'
So lift up your hands
Bridge:
Someone shout a hallelujah
Someone lift a song of praise
We can open up the heavens
If we call on Jesus' name
And if you're ready for a breakthrough
There's one waiting in this place
No more shackles, no more shadows
No more shame
Ending:
Gonna feel those chains get looser
Gonna feel your joy get truer
Praise opens prisons
Sing it louder, louder and louder
Sing it louder, praise opens prisons
Devotion
The definition of 'prison' is 'a state of confinement or captivity.' When we think of being in prison, we think of a place where people who may have committed a crime are sent ant held. They are arrested and physically removed from the company of their family and friends, and taken out of society by the authorities whose responsibility it is to carry out the law. We see this carried out on numerous occasions in the Bible. Joseph was put in prison after being accused of sexual misconduct. Samson, who upon becoming weak in the strength of God's Spirit, became weak physically, and was arrested by the Philistines. John the Baptist was arrested because he spoke out against the sin of the king. The Apostle Peter was arrested when King Herod began attacking those that belonged to the church. The Apostle Paul and Silas, who rebuked the spirit of a slave girl by which her owners claimed that she could predict the future, was arrested when her owners could no longer make a profit from her. All these people were confined and held captive.
However, there's another type of 'prison.' Another type that, too, confines people, holding them captive and placing them in bondage. This prison will also separate people from their friends and families, taking them out of society. What is it? The prison and hold of sin. The prison and hold of Satan. This song talks about addiction, which is a hold of Satan that comes in many different forms. Some have an addiction to drugs, pornography, possessions, position, money, fame, or even food. When we are in this prison, we might smile, but we are far from being truly happy. This is a prison that even when in a crowd, causes us to feel alone, creating anxiety with a feeling of heaviness that we can't seem to get rid of. This is a form of prison that we, in our humanity, can't escape on our own. We need help. Divine help, like Peter, Paul, and Silas. Peter's chains fell off when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in his jail cell, leading him out to carry on with his message about Jesus (Acts 12). Paul and Silas, who were singing praises as they sat in prison, were freed when a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison causing the doors to fly open and everyone's chains to come loose (Acts 16).
When we need a breakthrough, Jesus is there....waiting. Only He is able to remove our shackles, shadows, and shame. When we begin to call on Him, praising His name, the heavens will open, the prison walls will shake, and the ground will quake. Our chains will get looser and our prison doors will swing open. Our fake joy will turn into truth, and our hallelujahs will ring out in songs of praise. This is our jail break!
Like Zach, I have lived both sides of the story, rock bottom and glory, so I understand, And like Zach, I will tell you that if Satan has any kind of hold on you, if he has you in any type of prison, take your pain and your burdens and lay them down at the feet of Jesus....then lift up your hands and your voice. Lift them up to the One that can destroy any prison wall that Satan has built around you.
Sing it louder, louder, and louder! Oh yes! Your praise will open your prison!
So, are you in prison?