Exodus 15:2

The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him!

This is part of a wonderful song that Moses sang after the people of Israel had crossed the Red Sea. After 400 years they had finally left Egypt; 400 years is a very long time, and the people could easily have stayed there for ever. But there was a deep longing to be free from the persecution and slavery that they had experienced in Egypt. Moses’ song of victory beautifully expressed a national sigh of relief that the suffering was now at an end. At last they were free.

The people’s exodus from Egypt was a defining moment in the nation’s story because it told them so much about their God. They learned that God is, by his very nature, a God who loves to set people free. He’s a God of salvation. It’s not surprising that throughout the Bible there are frequent references back to the crossing of the Red Sea. If God was able to overcome an obstacle as great as this, then surely nothing could stand in his way.

There’s great encouragement in this for all of us. Whether we are looking at global problems, national difficulties or the situations that we are facing in our own lives, we need to look at them through the lens of God’s salvation. He is the God who sets people free and looks to us to work with him to bring his salvation to the world today. We will often be daunted by the challenges that we face but, like Moses, we need to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord who remains our strength and our song.

Question

In what ways have you discovered God to be your strength and your song?

Prayer

Lord God, I worship you because you are the God of the Exodus. Thank you that you are constantly setting people free in our world today. Amen