As a reminder, Psalms 113 – 118 are known as the “Hallel”, which means praise, and these Psalms were often sang in connection with Jewish holidays or celebrations such as Passover.
Today, we are spending time in Psalm 114 and celebrating the deep sense of ultimate security that God gave, and continues to give, to His people. During the Exodus, we see God’s powerful commitment to save His covenant people, Israel, from slavery by the Egyptian empire. It was such a spectacular event of redemption. You and I must always remember that this ultimate redemption was for God’s people then and is for God’s people now. We are God’s holy people, and we will always clash with the world’s ungodly systems, just like our Israelite brothers and sisters did when they were in Egypt. But we must never forget that we are a part of God’s Kingdom, and God is always seeking to rescue and to protect His people as we are God’s sanctuary, His temple.
“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
The Psalmist reminds us of God’s sovereign power with the parting of the waters at the Red Sea and at the Jordan River. God made a way for His people, just like He makes a way for you and me. We know that the Israelites experienced miracle after miracle and they still struggled with their faith. That is why we must fear and tremble at the sheer holy presence of the Lord. I am not saying that we must be afraid of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; I am actually saying the complete opposite. We must grow so close to each of them, as One, that we cannot think, say, or act without the holy guidance of the Holy Trinity within our lives. Only then are we living in true fear of the Lord, or a place reverence of the Lord.
God wants to move the mountain within my life and within your life…and if you do not have a mountain standing in the way right now, then praise Jesus; because He is Who you will call on when you are faced with one that seems far too big to climb.
Psalm 114 (NLT)
1 When the Israelites escaped from Egypt—
when the family of Jacob left that foreign land—
2 the land of Judah became God’s sanctuary,
and Israel became his kingdom.
3 The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way!
The water of the Jordan River turned away.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs!
5 What’s wrong, Red Sea, that made you hurry out of their way?
What happened, Jordan River, that you turned away?
6 Why, mountains, did you skip like rams?
Why, hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob.
8 He turned the rock into a pool of water;
yes, a spring of water flowed from solid rock.
Prayer: Father, thank You for Jesus, Who redeemed me and rescued me from sin. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, Who seeks to guide my second-by-second life. I need Your protection, at all times. This world seeks to mess with my soul, and I know I need You to have full control over my soul. I want my mind to be fixated on You, Lord. I want my will to be firmly rooted in You, Lord. Finally, I want my emotions to be guided by You, Lord. I want my faith to keep growing because I know in order to grow closer with You that is what needs to happen. I ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.