December 11

Exodus 14:10-14, 26-29, 15:1-3

14  10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, "Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: 'Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness." 13 And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent."…

26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen." 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

15  1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,

"I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a man of war;
the LORD is his name.

Grant, Omnipotent God,
that since our life is exposed to innumerable dangers
and Thou settest before our eyes what happened
to the best and choicest of Thy servants –
O grant that we may flee to Thee and resign ourselves
wholly to Thy will,
that we may know that Thou art the guardian
of our life, so that not a hair of our head can fall
without Thy hidden permission,
and that we may also learn to ask of Thee the
spirit of wisdom and discretion, so that Thou Thyself
mayest guide our steps, as it is not in us to defend
our life from those many intrigues by which we
are on every side surrounded, the whole world
being opposed to us,
so that we may proceed in the course of our pilgrimage
under Thy care and protection, until we shall be
removed into that blessed rest laid up for us in heaven
by Christ our Lord. Amen.