Original Entry: July 25, 2007
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: "I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea.2 The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:1-2
Athletes love theme songs. They train to them, listen to them in the pre-game solitude, warm up to them and if you listen closely you may hear these same songs playing over the speakers during time outs. Like many, I even have a workout playlist on my iPod loaded with theme songs from the past.
For the sake of this entry I will humor you with one of my football workout theme songs dating back to my pre-Christ days of high school.
This is where it gets a little embarrassing. As football player with a slight ego I had a theme song that happened to be at the top of the charts in the early 80’s. It was a song performed by The Police called, “The King of Pain.” I remember (again, embarrassingly) strutting around the weight room like Mohammed Ali before a title fight singing as loud as I could, “I am the king of pain, I am the king of pain.” Everyone in that small Morro Bay High School weight room laughed at my bold proclamation, although looking back I wonder if they were actually laughing AT me. Man, I thought I was coolest guy in the world.
You know my senior class actually gave me the award, “The most likely to be on the cover of Sports Illustrated (and tell you about it!).” I do not think they were amused.
I mimicked the lyrics to this song as a witness to my own power, strength and will. The manifestation of “my song (Exodus 15:1)” was a consequence of my self-absorbed ego and false sense of strength, which God would break down just a few short years later. Just as the “King of Pain” was my song from the 80’s I know women from the same era who might say that their theme song was Madonna’s 80’s hit “Material Girl!”
Think about this: Our song is often based on our strengths, passions and pursuits in life.
The Israelites had just been delivered from a seemingly helpless situation. They had no strengths, powers or pursuits outside of Egyptian mandate to work. They were, at that time, a weak and pathetic people. But God rescued them. He delivered them by His strength, His power and His pursuit of them, eventually leading them away from Egypt and setting them on the other side of the Red Sea. There was absolutely no doubt that God was the strength that led to their freedom and it was to that end they could sing.
For some reason God has chooses to give some men physical size and strength for a season but that physical strength is worthless and weak without God (Zechariah 4:6). Physical strength is only a temporal manifestation of God’s stewardship. Man’s strength accomplishes nothing without God’s help. Maybe that is what Paul was talking to Timothy about when he wrote, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come” (1Timothy 4:8).
It is only through His strength that is within me by the power of His Spirit (Ephesians.3:20-21) that I can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Any life song a man sings that is manifested through his finite strength is futility at best. He must rely on Jesus for all things and seek out his strength to empower.
Men will you pray this prayer with me, “Lord let my life song sing to you about your strength and your power. Release me from the worthlessness of my pride that tempts me to sing a temporal song. Set me free to sing of those things of eternal value that are precious, redemptive, and bring glory to your name.”
