It is only fitting that we begin our look at prayers in the Old Testament with a poem celebrating the miraculous deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian bondage and the miracle of the Red Sea crossing.
This poem is sung by Moses and will remain the model for future songs of Deliverance.
“I will sing to the Lord,
For He has triumphed gloriously!
The horse and its rider
He has thrown into the sea! 2 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. 3 The Lord is a man of war;
The Lord is His name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. 5 The depths have covered them;
They sank to the bottom like a stone.
Moses begins his song of praise with this great event in history.
The realistic account is a narrative of God over throwing the great and mightiest of men……Pharaoh’s chariots and his army sinking in the sea. This illustrates that the great and powerful on earth have no control over the forces that the Lord uses to oppose the wicked.
God has no army and uses no weaponry. It is creation……wind, mighty waters and earth…..that comes to the rescue of His people.
This song of victory is so meaningful for us as well…….read the whole of the song and you will note there are three confessions of faith (Vs, 2-3, 11-12, 18)…… celebrating God as unique and incomparable. “Who is like you, O Lord among the gods?” (note that there were those among the people who had only known Egyptian polytheism). “Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?” These phrases will become the trademark of biblical prayer.
Can we count on God to be with us as He was with those escaping Hebrews?
Yes, God is on our side when we come to Him in faith and repentance. He can still provide a way of escape for us. He still “divides the waters” that prevent us from reaching His rest…….and He still can defeat the forces of evil that attack us.
What have been the greatest deliverances and wonders for which you want to praise God?
AbideLines 