Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:1-2
Expressions of praise and thanksgiving to God can be found throughout the Bible. These verses immediately follow the destruction of the Egyptian cavalry in the Red Sea.
As the story goes, the defenseless Israelites are finally putting Egypt in their rearview mirrors when they see the Egyptians coming after them. Pharaoh, overwhelmed by the final plague of the deaths of the first born, gave the Israelites the green light to leave, but then had second thoughts so he sent the army to bring them back.
Facing the Red Sea, caught in the certainty of destruction in the water or destruction at the hands of the enemy, Moses pleads to God and God makes a way. Once safely on the other side, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise and thanksgiving.
It is easy, natural, to sing songs of praise on the good end of being rescued. The old saying that there are no atheists in foxholes follows the troops all the way home. The least spiritual are still to include God in giving thanks upon returning home.
But what we know now, and what Moses didn’t know then, is that second thoughts would come to the Israelites just as they came to Pharaoh. Hunger and thirst will do that to you. Just a few verses later, the fleshpots of bondage in Egypt begin to look better than they actually were in the memories of the Israelites.
We all are prone to short memories.
Get us through a crisis and we’re thankful. A few days on the other side and we begin to forget. Our memories play tricks on us. It wasn’t as bad as we thought it was. We weren’t rescued, we were “resourceful.” Thanksgiving falls away as entitlement returns.
How do we prevent that from happening? I don’t know that we ever can do that perfectly or permanently but there is great wisdom in beginning every day with thanksgiving and being mindful throughout the day of the gift of life, love, and redemption.
Let us pray: Gracious Lord, make us strong with all the strength that comes from your glorious power, and may we be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to you, who have enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. You have rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of your beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Daily Devotions 
November 19, 2013 at 6:58 pm |
Thank you, Pastor Kerry. It is so good to have you back again. May He continue to bless you as you bless us through Him!