Exodus 15 - After Prayer comes Praise - A Heart that Sings

Good morning. Another glorious cool morning that is. Fall is a great time of year, yes? The change of the weather seems to signal something in the heart. As we lived out in Maui one of the strangest things to adjust to was the lack of change in the weather. Sure, it was awesome to wear shorts and hit the beach 365 days a year but there is something cool (pun intended) in reaching for a sweater and lighting the fireplace on a chilly night as you quietly read by the hearth. But there is a limit, no Wisconsin winters please.

Well today is a new day for us, but it’s an especially new day for the Israelites. We saw in chapter 14 yesterday that God parted the Red Sea wide open and they waltzed right on through to the other side. Funny joke, why did the Israelite cross the Red Sea? I’m just kidding, I don’t think that’s a real joke. Anyway, we saw yesterday that every single problem in the world was marching towards the Israelites in one moment and a few hours later God had removed every single one of those problems. You see, walking with the Lord requires patience because He can change your circumstances in the blink of an eye. All you have to do is wait on the Lord. He is working for you, just wait for Him.

So, as the Israelites saw the blood thirsty Egyptian army charging towards them, they were crying out to the Lord, just as I think we all would have done. And of course, God does answer the prayers of the Israelites and He closes the sea in upon the entire Egyptian army, not even one survives. (Ex 14:28b) But where we’ll camp out today for a bit is not focusing on the prayers but focusing on the posture the Israelites quickly adopt as they safely arrive on the other side. Now free from their enemy, their slavery and the bonds that firmly held them both physically and mentally, they of all things, stop and sing a song. Their hearts sing to the Lord.

“Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying:

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this 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

Hearts that were once shackled with doubt are now set free. Hearts that were bound with lack of faith are now soaring like an eagle. Hearts that mired in self-pity and fear are now singing to Heaven in hopes it reaches the very ears of God. You see after prayer comes praise and a heart that is full of praise will sing to the Lord.

Growing up in the south I was properly taught the manners of the south. Thank you Mom and Dad. You always address your elders as Sir and Ma’am. You always treat ladies with the respect they deserve, ladies first. If you arrive at a door first, you hold it open for the person behind you. It’s great disrespect to let a door shut on someone. You respect all people and you respect their stuff as well. And probably the most important, when you are offered something you say please and then after you say thank you. This last one is where I see a major void today. People just don’t say please and thank you. I guess it’s a pet peeve, especially when dining out that people don’t use common courtesy and manners when addressing their wait staff. Sure, they’re getting paid to serve you, but first and foremost they are a person and people deserve respect (see rule #4 above). But stop for a second and change gears. Don’t think about people but think about God. You might be good at saying please as you cry out to God and beg Him to save you from the enemy army, but how good are you at saying thank you to God after He does? How good are you at the praise that comes after the prayer?

The very first thing we see after the Israelites cross over the Red Sea is a massive time of praise. Their hearts are soaring after seeing God intervene for them and literally save their hides. They see and feel the love that God has for them and as a result of seeing how good God is, they have no choice but to release what is building up to overflowing in their hearts. Praise.

There are tons of different definitions and uses of the word praise. You can praise your kids, praise your dog, praise your employees and praise your spouse. But to Praise the Lord is entirely different. When a heart becomes full to overflowing with gratitude, love, thankfulness, amazement and wonder, praise will follow. It’s a really odd thing to experience, but a heart truly full of God will spill out praise, it’s inevitable. A heart full of God will be fully aware of all that He has done and continues to do and just can’t help but sing out loud.

The Israelites exhibit these hearts in Exodus 15. You see, after the prayer comes praise. They had been desperately crying out to God and He heard them and answered their prayers. As a result, they break out into song and sing to the Lord. Hearts running over with gratitude that results in a melodious song to the Lord. They are singing in celebration of what the Lord has done, who He is and for His boundless love. I have a question for you. When was the last time that your prayer was followed by praise? Well, you might say, “Dan I would but God hasn’t answered any of my prayers.” Oh, but hasn’t He? God is a mysterious God and He works in ways that are foreign to us. He moves in ways that make little to no sense to us and His path it seems, rarely aligns with ours. But His ways are the right ways. His paths are straight. Regardless of how things might look, He is faithful, He is loving, and He is in perfect control of your life. In faith you must believe and in faith you must praise after the prayer, even if it seems unanswered.

So, as you are praying today to the Lord, laying down request after request, don’t forget to follow prayer with praise. After all, saying thank you is just good manners.

Psalms 111 - “Praise the Lord.”

"I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the company of the upright and in the assembly.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who honor him; he remembers his covenant forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise."