Lord of the cloud and the fire,
You led Your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand,
but the wilderness revealed what Egypt had planted in their hearts.
Though the chains were broken,
they longed for the pots of meat in slavery
more than the manna from Heaven.
Though they saw the sea stand up like walls,
they grumbled, “Why did You bring us here to die?”
Though You gave water from the rock,
they thirsted for idols of their own making.
And Lord are we not the same?
We are Your Church, yet we are a mess.
We would rather bow to sin than walk in freedom.
We claim to worship You,
yet turn quickly to golden calves of comfort and pride.
We dress up rebellion with songs of praise,
but our hearts are far from You.
We speak of grace,
but our lips drip with slander and lies.
We cry out “freedom in Christ,”
yet we cling to the chains of jealousy,
bitterness, division, and self.
O God, You alone know the whole truth.
You see the darkness we hide,
the whispers we spread,
the idols we defend.
Like Israel, we test Your patience daily.
But You are the same God
who split the sea,
who swallowed Pharaoh’s army,
who bore long with Your people
and still called them Your own.
So do it again, Lord.
Expose us. Strip away every excuse.
Lay bare the rebellion in Your Church.
Cleanse us with holy fire.
Wash us in the Red Sea of Christ’s blood,
that the old masters of sin may drown forever.
Lead us into a wilderness where idols cannot feed us,
where only Your Word and Spirit sustain.
Break our pride until we hunger for nothing but You.
Lord, we confess: not one of us is innocent.
We are guilty of loving ourselves more than Your glory.
We are guilty of calling gossip gospel.
We are guilty of building kingdoms in Your Name
while neglecting Your true Kingdom.
But You, O God, are merciful.
You do not abandon Your Bride.
You purify her. You adorn her.
You make her ready for the Day of Your return.
So, Warrior of salvation,
stand between us and our enemies.
Be our pillar of fire in the night,
our cloud by day.
When the way seems blocked,
make a path where none exists.
When the waters rise,
let them part before Your command.
When death surrounds,
bring life out of the grave.
Lord, bury our sins in the depths.
Silence our tongues until they bless and not curse.
Open our ears to hear Your Spirit’s call.
Blind our eyes to idols,
and fix them on Your glory.
Do whatever it takes to make us Yours
holy, spotless, and true.
For we would rather be broken in Your hands
than whole in our rebellion.
We would rather wander in wilderness with You
than feast in Egypt without You.
Make us Your Bride,
pure and ready for the return of Christ.
In the name of Jesus,
our Deliverer, our Passover Lamb, our Red Sea,
Amen.