Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The LORD is my strength and song, And 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 man of war; The LORD is His name. Exodus 15.1-3
At the peak of our achievements, we often see ourselves as heroes. But that is the time to remember the Source of our help and return the credit to where it belongs. Moses is a man known for his prowess in leadership both as a prophet and a statesman. Moses only heard about God at first without any personal encounter with God. He recruited himself to work for God even when God had not sent him. Moses’s zeal for God made him become a wanted criminal and had to flee from justice. All through, Moses was hungry for God and desired to spend his life doing something for God
God saw his heart’s desire and eventually answered by recruiting him for the most difficult task on earth. Moses reluctantly accepted the job to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses was aware of the risk of confronting the powerful Pharaoh and the superpower Egypt. Moses succeeded in completing the mission of leading the people of God out of Egypt. With a sigh of relief, he felt that he owed God something- praise. Do you feel that you owe God something too?
So the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Exodus 14:30-31
Moses and the children of Israel saw the mighty hand of God beyond their imaginations. They saw the much-feared and dreaded Egyptian army drowning in the sea. They sang a song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord. Moses said, “The Lord is my strength and song, and has become my salvation.” Can you really see God as your strength? Can God be the song that you sing? For Moses to come to that point in his life where he has made God his strength and song, is a point of total surrender. That is a man who has stopped struggling with God and is no longer trying to do things in his own strength. If only we would begin to align all the key areas of our lives to God in praise of His name.
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3.16
This week have studied the importance and potency of praise and thanksgiving. Not just praise for what God has done but also for what He is yet to do. Not just praise for the good times but also for the not-too-good times. Praise is good when it is offered after the wonders of God but praise is great when it is fired to trigger the wonders of God. David was a king, an army general, and a praise leader. But he gave his heart more to praise and worship than anything else in his life.
The Old Testament is full of his songs of praise and thanksgiving. Admittedly he also felt utter sadness at times but even after he has lamented in one breath he is praising in the next. David is never afraid of the strength of the enemies. He would praise God into the battle until God takes over the fighting. Praise is an irresistible meal to God. Praise is an offer too good for God to turn down. Join us tomorrow at church as we engage the mystery of praise together to win all battles.
In this new month, may you wake up to review and revive your praise life, even in the midst of your battle. May the mystery of praise turn things around in your favour and turn the table against your enemy.