Monday August 7, 2023
Theme: “The power of praise: an asset for the liberation of the people of God” Text: Exodus 15:1-13
1. Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord. They said, I will sing to the LORD, for he has made his glory manifest; He threw horse and rider into the sea. 2. The Lord is my strength and my praise; It was he who saved me. He is my God: I will celebrate him; He is my father's God: I will exalt him. 3. The Lord is a mighty warrior; The Lord is his name. 4. He launched the chariots of Pharaoh and his army into the sea; Its elite fighters were swallowed up in the Red Sea. 5. The waves covered them: They sank to the bottom of the waters, like a stone. 6. Your right hand, O Lord! signaled his strength; Your right hand, O Lord! crushed the enemy. 7. By the greatness of your majesty You overthrow your adversaries; You unleash your anger: It consumes them like stubble. 8. At the breath of your nostrils, the waters have piled up, The currents have risen like a wall, The waves have hardened in the middle of the sea. 9. The enemy said: I will pursue, I will reach, I will divide the loot; My vengeance will be sated, I will draw the sword, my hand will destroy them. 10. You blew out your breath: The sea covered them; They sank like lead, Into the depths of the waters. 11. Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you magnificent in holiness, worthy of praise, working wonders? 12. You stretched out your right hand: The earth swallowed them up. 13. By thy mercy thou hast led, thou hast delivered this people; By your power you direct him To the abode of your holiness.
Let's remember:
Deliverance is the action of delivering a person or a group of people from a constraint or a great concern; it is the end of this painful situation; it is the feeling of relief that results. This song is the only answer that the Israelites had found to say thank you to God, the author and actor of their deliverance. They sing by the sea, happy to have experienced an extraordinary miracle. This canticle is in contrast to Psalm 137 which is a real cry of distress when the Israelites were seated on the banks of the river of Babylon, and there their executioners demanded that they sing songs of joy while they are in deportation. Here, Moses and all the people were singing under the direction of Mary the cantor of the day. A deliverance can be initiated by God, it can be quickly completed through the power of praise from the people who are being delivered. In praise, there is a divine force that engages the fight against demons because praise elevates God above other deities and imposes his reign over his creature by preventing the evil action of the devil. During the praise, God makes his glory burst forth; He routs our enemies. God is our strength and the subject of our praise; He is the one who saves. The Lord is a mighty warrior; he crushes and overthrows our adversaries by the greatness of his majesty. A people who are delivered from the grip of satan must praise their God so as not to be ungrateful. Let us empower our worship by putting our hearts into it and putting God at the heart of our worship. Excellent Monday. Amen Alain Louz.-
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