The Best of ALC Devotions: Day 1
Mary Did You Know?: Part 1 || Day 1
Exodus 15:1-21 NLT
Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. This is my God, and I will praise him— my father’s God, and I will exalt him! The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name! Pharaoh’s chariots and army he has hurled into the sea. The finest of Pharaoh’s officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters gushed over them; they sank to the bottom like a stone. “Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power. Your right hand, O Lord, smashes the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you. You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw. At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard. “The enemy boasted, ‘I will chase them and catch up with them. I will plunder them and consume them. I will flash my sword; my powerful hand will destroy them.’ But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord— glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders? You raised your right hand, and the earth swallowed our enemies. “With your unfailing love you lead the people you have redeemed. In your might, you guide them to your sacred home. The peoples hear and tremble; anguish grips those who live in Philistia. The leaders of Edom are terrified; the nobles of Moab tremble. All who live in Canaan melt away; terror and dread fall upon them. The power of your arm makes them lifeless as stone until your people pass by, O Lord, until the people you purchased pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain— the place, O Lord, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever!” When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground! Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. And Miriam sang this song: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”
Today we are starting a new series that we have titled with a Christmas theme. But in all actuality, it’s not much of a Christmas series. In reality, it’s a prophetic word for the Church as we prepare to step into the year of 2023. Over the next three to four weeks, God is going to speak to you and declare what He wants to do in and through your life.
We say the name Mary, but in the Hebrew the name is Miriam. The Bible speaks of three different Marys or Miriams. I believe they signify or prophesy of the end-time church. Each Mary played a significant part in the lineage, life, and resurrection testimony of Jesus Christ. There are a few very pivotal times in the Bible that have major implications in the lineage, life, and the testimony of Jesus. In each of these times we find a woman by the name of Mary or Miriam present. I believe that these moments are speaking prophetically to the end-time church right now.
Right now, I believe that God is speaking over the church that this is the season of Miriam. This is the time when God will fight the battles for the church. And as you see the Lord’s hand at work doing a new work, so let your lips give Him a new praise! This is the time when the praise of the saints of God is to go to another level in the Spirit. The season of Miriam is the time when the church is going to celebrate a great victory over longtime enemies.