Packing Praise

I marvel at the mental picture in Exodus 15 after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. Moses leads the people in a song of praise to God for their miraculous deliverance, and then we see something extraordinary:

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." (Exodus 15:20)

Wait a minute. Timbrels? You mean tambourines?

Let's consider the context. The Israelites had fled Egypt in haste. Pharaoh's army was bearing down on them. They were escaping slavery with only what they could carry, presumably just the bare necessities for survival in the wilderness.

Yet somehow, these women had packed tambourines. All of them?

Can you imagine the packing decisions? "Let's see... bread, water, extra sandals... and definitely my tambourine!" It makes me smile to think about it. These weren't tiny pocket-sized instruments, mind you. Ancient timbrels were substantial, taking up precious space in whatever they were carrying.

What does this tell us? To these women, worship wasn't a luxury item to be left behind when life got difficult. It wasn't something to be squeezed in if there happened to be room after the "important" things were handled. Worship was essential equipment for the journey.

Oh, how I need this reminder in my own life!

When my days are packed with ministry responsibilities, writing deadlines, and the general busyness of life, I find myself evaluating my time. I determine what's absolutely necessary and what can be set aside. And if I'm not careful, my time with God becomes something I squeeze in rather than the central priority it should be.

Bible reading becomes a quick verse grabbed on my phone.

Prayer becomes hurried words while I multitask.

Worship becomes a background playlist rather than my focused attention.

I become like a traveler who packed everything needed for physical survival but left behind the very thing my soul requires to thrive.

The women of Israel teach me that genuine worship isn't something we do when everything else is sorted. It's not the dessert after the main course of life. It's the heartbeat that sustains us through our wilderness journeys.

So when I find myself saying, "I'll spend time with God when things settle down," I remember those timbrels. Those women anticipated moments worth celebrating. They made room for worship regardless of the weight it added to their journey because they understood that worship isn't a luxury. It's life itself!

Perhaps today, we might ask ourselves: What "timbrels" have we left behind in our rush to handle only the essentials? Have we made room for genuine worship in our exodus through life's challenges? Or have we convinced ourselves we'll get back to it once we reach the promised land?

The truth is, like those Israelite women, we need our instruments of praise not despite the journey, but because of it.