Portraits of Faith, Week 3 - Praise
Exodus 15:1-6, 18-21 (NIV)
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
“I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.
2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
the Lord is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 The deep waters have covered them;
they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
shattered the enemy.
18 “The Lord reigns
for ever and ever.”
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen[a] went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.”
Discussion Questions
The sermon opened with the image of a woman pulling out a tambourine in church — not in the band, just someone who loved to worship that way. What's your honest reaction to that kind of uninhibited expression of praise, and what does your reaction tell you about your own worship posture?
The tambourine shows up seventeen times in the Old Testament as a symbol of celebration and victory. Had you ever thought of it as a significant biblical image before? What other symbols of praise or worship do you think Christians have quietly set aside that might be worth recovering?
The key question of the sermon was deceptively simple: where did the tambourines come from? The women packed them before the miracle happened. What does that kind of anticipatory faith look like in your own life — and can you think of a time when you prepared for a victory before you saw it?
Moses told the Israelites to eat in haste, fully dressed, ready to move at a moment's notice. If you were packing for an uncertain journey with no guarantee of safety, what would you make sure to bring — and what does that reveal about what you trust most?
Pastor Dave described two years in Haiti watching people with very little worship with profound joy — a hand-made drum, a piece of punched tin, no air conditioning, and half an hour of singing. What does that kind of praise in the middle of hardship challenge or inspire in you?
Matt Redman's line stuck with Pastor Dave: "Worship is not about minimizing the problems of the world. It's about magnifying the goodness of God." How does that reframe the way you think about worship — especially on weeks when you don't feel like singing?
The song "Praise" by Elevation Worship echoes Miriam's song: "I'll praise when I'm sure, praise when I'm doubting." Is there an area of your life right now where you're doubting — and what would it look like to bring that doubt into a posture of praise rather than silence?
Ashleigh MacDonald left home at 18 for Colorado without a plan, but she brought her guitar. What is the equivalent of a guitar or tambourine in your own life — something that represents your trust that God isn't finished with your story yet?
The closing challenge was simple: don't forget to pack your tambourine. What does that look like practically for you this week, heading into whatever you're currently facing?
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