I will exalt Him. Really?

The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.  – Exodus 15.2

This is a beautiful song of praise to celebrate the victory God had given them. I think the same song is repeated in the Psalms and it is well worth it. It would be song that should constantly be in our hearts, not only on days of victory and success, but also on those days when things don’t go well. In fact, these words are probably more needed when we are having it tough. They are easy to sing in the happy times.

The Lord is my strength

The Lord in my song

The Lord is my salvation

I will prepare a place for Him

I will exalt Him

I think we can all remember times when our hearts were full of this kind of joy. We had just seen God do something great and we were bursting with joy and excitement and gratitude. All of these things are true and God is honoured whenever we express them.

What I find too often in my own life though is that I only have this kind of joy when the times are good. I have a hard time saying these things when things are not going well. Nothing really changes. He still is my strength and my song and my salvation – but it the ‘I will exalt Him’ that doesn’t work as well when things go badly.

I think the reason, as much as I hate to admit it, it that I walk by sight and not by faith. If I really trusted God the way I should my doubt would not stop exalting Him, not just in word, after defeats as well as after victories.