I Just Have To Praise Him
Have you ever had something so unbelievably good happen to you, that joy just bubbled up in you and you spontaneously began singing, shouting, praising and dancing? Maybe you received word that someone you loved was safe after you spent the night worrying. Maybe you were surprised with great and unexpected gift. Maybe, someone you had been praying for, just received some life saving or life changing news. Whatever moved you to that point where the joy just erupted in you, you know that you didn’t have a choice, you had to physically let it out. That is what we see happening to Moses, Miriam and the Israelites who have just seen God’s mighty hand save them and destroy Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea. in Exodus 15:1-3, 11-13, 17-18, 20-21, the existential threat from Pharaoh’s army had been so great, and the deliverance so miraculous, that all of Israel began praising God through song, music and dance. I pray that God moves so miraculously and undeniably in your circumstance that you are moved to spontaneous and dramatic praise of who He is and what He has done for you! Amen.
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea. “The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. (Exodus 15:1-3) Having safely crossed the Red Sea and been saved by God from the pursuing army of Pharaoh, Moses and all of Israel took time to praise the LORD. Their praise was in the form of a song. They praised God as warrior, as their strong defender and protector, as the God who was faithful to their fathers and as their salvation. Through His might act at the Red Sea, God revealed himself to His people in many ways. They concluded these verses by calling Him by the name that God told Moses to remember Him by forever (Exodus 3:14-15).
Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? “You stretch out your right hand, and the earth swallows your enemies. In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. (Exodus 15:11-13)
You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance— the place, LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established. “The LORD reigns for ever and ever.” (Exodus 15:17-18) Moses and the Israelites continued praising God, recognizing Him as the one true God, (who among the gods is like you?). They sang recounting God’s deliverance of Israel and the destruction of Pharaoh’s army by way of the Red Sea. They praised God’s holiness, glory and unfailing love in redeeming them from their bondage. And they praised God with faith that He would lead them to His holy place in the Promised Land... the place where "the LORD reigns forever and ever".
Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.” (Exodus 15:20-21) Then Miriam (Moses and Aaron’s sister) led the women in song, dance and music as a joyful response to Moses’ song of praise to God for His triumph over the Egyptians.
The deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea was nothing short of miraculous. God parted the waters so that Israel could flee from Pharaoh’s army by cross through the Red Sea. The waters were held on either side to allow Israel passage to the shore on the other side, and then dramatically, the Red Sea waters were allowed to rush back into place, destroying Pharaoh’s forces which were pursuing Israel. It was so dramatic and such a miraculous move of God, that all of Israel could not help but sing praises unto the Lord! I was once asked in a Sunday School class, if I believed that miracles still happen. My answer was, “ABSOLUTELY!”. And right there in that room, a woman testified about the miracle of her daughter, who had been in the hospital on the brink of death, but was there that day, alive and well. In that moment, the woman and her daughter began offering praise to God. You see, God still moves in miraculous ways in the lives and circumstances of His people. When your back is against the wall and you don’t see a way out of your circumstance, God’s deliverance is your miracle. You realize that only God could have made a way out of no way in that moment. Your miracle might not look like the Red Sea to anyone else. But for you, the outcome is just as dramatic and the joy is just as great. And God wants your praise to be great too, because He wants everyone to know that He is God, He loves you, and He is the only one who has the power to deliver you from your circumstance and to save you for eternal joy with Him. And for that…. I just have to praise Him!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
