Worship
Please sing or meditate on this song of worship to the Lord.

Hide me now under Your wings.
Cover me within Your mighty hand.
When the oceans rise & thunder roars,
I will soar with You above the storm.
Father, You are King over the flood;
I will be still & know you are God.

Find rest, my soul, in Christ alone.
Know His power in quietness & trust.
When the oceans rise………

Sermon on the Mat: Jesus, our Mighty God
Isaiah 9:6-7
Exodus 14:13, 21-30

‘The water flowed back & covered the chariots & horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right & on their left.’ Exodus 14:28-29.

How thrilling it is to think that amongst His many other titles – 198 in total – that Jesus is our ‘Mighty God,’ the God who, come what may, reigns supreme over all.

Take great comfort from the fact that the particular Pharaoh associated with the dramatic tale of the parting of the Red Sea & all the other Pharaohs who had presided over Israel’s 430 year captivity before him, did so on the basis of God’s say so & not their own. Which perhaps puts a different complexion on the appointment of current world leaders & those closer to home, doesn’t it? Leaders, take careful note, through whom God’s great purpose for us & for His world will ultimately be served. Regardless of whether they are for Him or against Him. Here’s how Romans 13:1 puts it – ‘For there is no authority except from God & those that exist have been instituted by God.’ ESV.

Or as Colossians 1:16 further clarifies – ‘All things were created by Jesus & for Jesus.’

Nb. Imagine being in a state of lockdown for almost four & a half centuries? A period of close quarter confinement & isolation where there appeared to be no end in sight? More reason to imagine that God had long since given up on you, than not, surely? Yet, truth to tell, He had never once failed to take into account His beloved Israel’s plight, had He? Never once given up on the idea of rescuing them from the hand of their oppressor. Never once abandoned His plan & indeed His promise to abundantly redress the balance of those seemingly lost & wasted years. That day, not far beyond their long awaited hour of deliverance, when He would ‘Bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning & a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.’ Isaiah 61:3. NIV.

No matter how long the waiting, how hard the going, how challenging & how desperate at times the way, God’s children will never be denied the blessing of the glorious future He has always got in mind for them. A future He is always in complete & perfect control of. A future He will never fail to bring to pass, not only because of who He is but also because of the fact that He loves us to that extent.

As the hymn writer would remind us – ‘From life’s first cry to final breath, ‘Jesus’ commands my destiny.’

When God eventually called time on Israel’s situation, Pharaoh was utterly powerless to stop them. Completely impotent to prevent their escape. An escape which took them via the way of the ‘apparent impasse’ of the Red Sea. God’s chosen route to freedom. A route to freedom that had been almost 500 years in the making. How often, I wonder, does it turn out to be the case that the very thing which appears to be preventing us from realising God’s good & perfect will in our lives is, in His Almighty hands, actually the very thing that accomplishes it?! And, by the very same token, the snare that results in the enemy’s complete & utter destruction?

A truth nowhere better illustrated than at Calvary. The place where the sting of death was removed, the price of our sin was paid, forgiveness ran full & free & the armies of hell were rendered powerless & ineffectual, for ever!

Prayer of Blessing
The love of the Lord Jesus
Draw you to Himself,
The power of the Lord Jesus
Strengthen you in His Service;
The joy of the Lord Jesus fill your hearts;
And the blessing of God Almighty,
The Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit,
Be among you & remain with you always. Amen.

Please pray for

• Our world leaders & for the leaders in our own country that they will seek the wisdom of God as they wrestle with difficult decisions over the coming days.
• The scientists from across the globe as they look for ways to alleviate the symptoms of COVID 19 & as they seek to discover a vaccine for the future.
• God’s people in this time of uncertainty & concern. That our eternal hope would make an earthly difference. Not just to those who already know Jesus but also to those who, as yet, don’t know Him.