If we want to pray with faith that moves mountains, we need to understand what prayer is.  I believe there’s a simple formula for a powerful prayer life. Humility + Faith + Intimacy with the Father = Powerful Prayers. It is my hope that we become people that prays powerfully. We are all testimonies of answered prayer in some way. 

In today’s post, we will look at a prayer that testifies to the power of God. It is actually a song that the Israelites sang in a moment of great victory. Did you know that your songs of praise and worship are actually a type of prayer? 

Sometimes we struggle to find the words to pray but somehow a song will say exactly what we feel or believe. Have you ever heard a song come on the radio or hear a song sung in church and it was exactly what your spirit needed? There have been many times when I would sing to God rather than voice a traditional prayer to Him. It renewed my spirit and gave me strength to face whatever I was facing. Music is a wonderful gift from the Lord. It serves as a way to celebrate, contemplate or even cry out our deepest longest to our Heavenly Father. 

In Exodus 14, we find the Israelites at the edge of the Red Sea. This is the most dramatic moment in the Hebrews’ history and they are overwhelmed by what they have just experienced.

Exodus 14:30-31, “That day the Lord saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 When Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and believed in him and in his servant Moses.”

Imagine the scene that the Israelites are seeing. They’ve just walked through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water to their left and to their right. And as the last Israelite stepped on to the beach the waves began to crash down onto the pursuing Egyptian army. The rumble of the chariots turned into a torrent of crashing water. Now here they are standing by the Red Sea with the path they’ve just walked on covered and the Egyptian army’s bodies drifting lifeless onto the seashore. 

How did the Israelites react to such an overwhelming display of God’s power on their behalf? They feared the Lord and believed in Him and in His servant Moses. 

Their response was immediate. Exodus 15:1 says, “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord.” The response to God in song was almost guttural. They just stood on the seashore in awe of what just happened. They may have even been a little speechless. What words could they say to thank the Lord for what he had just done? But somehow, their voices cried out with a song rather than speeches and oratories. They sang. Singing comes from deep inside a person. So this response was appropriate. 

Here’s a bit of what they sang. You can find the whole song in Exodus 15:1-18.

 “I will sing to the Lord,

for he is highly exalted;

he has thrown the horse

and its rider into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my song;

He has become my salvation.

This is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Lord, who is like you among the gods?

Who is like you, glorious in holiness,

revered with praises, performing wonders?

You stretched out your right hand,

and the earth swallowed them.

With your faithful love,

you will lead the people

you have redeemed;

you will guide them to your holy dwelling

with your strength.

You will bring them in and plant them

on the mountain of your possession;

Lord, you have prepared the place

for your dwelling;

Lord, your hands have established the sanctuary.

The Lord will reign forever and ever!”

Wow. What a powerful prayer! Now, I don’t know the melody they used or if they sang in harmony or with what rhythm. But they sang. They sang loudly and triumphantly. They danced. They celebrated their God. 

They sang from believing in Yahweh and what he had just done for them. We sing to God that which we believe. Sometimes we are downcast and our faith is shaken. And in those times we sing UNTIL we believe. 

I have a playlist of songs that I have used to give me strength in times of weakness. In the midst of my spiritual battles these songs were my battle cry. In moments when I couldn’t sing to God, they would sing for me. This playlist which I called my “Mourning into Dancing” songs served me in times of darkness. I’ve provided the link here. There are times when we are called to sing to the Lord. There are other times when we are silent and we listen. And if we are still enough, do you know who is still singing? 

The Lord Himself. He sings over you. When you do not have the strength to lift your voice, He is singing over his children. 

Zephaniah 3:17, “The Lord your God is in your midst,

    a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Take a moment and press play on your favorite worship song. I invite you to close your eyes and let the Lord sing over you. Let him quiet you with his love. 

You are His beloved child and he rejoices over you with singing. He will comfort you with His love.