Exodus 15:1–10 (ESV)

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.

“Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea, and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble. At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.”

I have a granddaughter who likes to make up songs. This began with randomly picking the animals that lived on Old MacDonald’s Farm. “And on this farm, he had a …

lion. E I E I O. With a … roar, roar here and a roar, roar there …”

Almost anything can happen. Her heart pours forth to some familiar tune. It almost feels spirit led.

That’s what Moses does here, and it’s typical of God’s people. In 1 Sam. 2:1–10, Hannah sings as she dedicates her son Samuel to the LORD. In Luke 1:46–55, Mary sings the Magnificat. In Luke 1:67–79, as soon as Zechariah’s tongue is loosed a song springs forth.

And don’t forget the Bible’s songbook—Psalms.

This isn’t really about singing; it’s about worship. Worship is from the heart. Singing is just one method.

Unfortunately, we think of worship as something we do on Sundays—led by someone else.

That’s fine, but if we never break into worship on our own, we’re missing something.

Prayer time should include worship. This doesn’t have to involve singing (for sure if you’re as off-key as I am). Worship isn’t quite the same as praise.

Sure, praise is included but so are things like confession and declarations of love and devotion. Make up a poem or song about God—or about your joy. Use Moses’ song as a model of how to do this. You can use any tune—Hallelujah, or Somewhere Over the Rainbow, or even a theme song (e.g., to Gilligan’s Island).

Okay, maybe not that one.

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These weekday DEEPs are written by Mike Slay. Saturdays' by Matt Richardson. Subscribe here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

The weekly study guides, which include questions for discussion or meditation, are here: https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NASB stands for the New American Standard Bible. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.