STORY TIME
Opening Prayer
Thank You, God, for always walking beside me. You have never left my side. I praise You for Your faithfulness.
Read Psalm 114
1 When Israel came out of Egypt,
Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled,
the Jordan turned back;
4 the mountains leaped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 Why was it, sea, that you fled?
Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Psalm 114For many societies and cultures, the meaning of life is narrated through stories and symbols. Myths, legends, heroes, and villains are remembered in verse and song. For the people of Israel, their sense of vocation as being a people chosen by God (2) is regularly rehearsed throughout the Old Testament. And this identity is inseparable from God’s mighty acts in creation and history, particularly in the epic story of the Exodus.
This hymn uses highly poetic imagery to capture God’s sovereignty over nature as He frees people from slavery and brings them into freedom. Creation is astonished to witness it. The Red Sea and River Jordan are terrified (3) while the mountains and hills skipped like rams and lambs (4). Faced with such power, the earth is summoned to tremble at His presence (7). The church has continued this rich tradition of singing redemptive history in hymns and worship songs. The apostle Paul urges people in the church in Ephesus to sing to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs as they give thanks for Jesus (Ephesians 5:19).
Apply
As we continue to worship God, let’s speak this psalm (or even sing it if we’re feeling musical), giving thanks for His mighty deeds in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Closing prayer
God, You never cease to amaze me! Thank You for Your creation; thank You for salvation; thank You for Your redemptive work in me.
Book and Author Intros
Extras
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