Pesach - Coming Closer to G-d with 3 of our senses:

Coming closer through sight:
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In the Song of Az Yashir (Shemos 15:2), we find the words "Zeh Kayli" (this is my G-d) - on these words the Mechilta explains that "Even a mere slavewoman saw at the sea that which the prophet (Yechezkel) didn't see."

The Gur Aryeh explains that the fact that this statement is written in the singular indicates that it applied to each and every individual.  The manifestation of G-dliness was so clear, that even the humblest of people could point and say, "This is my G-d"!

The meaning behind this Pasuk is that "This is my G-d...and I should be like Him (Ve-Anvehu)".  That one should devote himself completely to G-d and follow in His ways.  The Sifre writes at the end of Parsha Ekev - "Just like He is compassionate and gracious, you to should be compassionate and gracious".

This is what the slavewoman saw at the sea, that one is to follow G-d's ways (traits), when a person looks at you and sees G-d's creation - because you act in His ways, a person would understand that he has the ability to be like G-d in his own actions (traits).  By a person using his thoughts and mind correctly he can be similar to G-d (in his traits).  At the sea, they saw G-d's actions in the world without any partition, like I and He (Ani Vehu - AnVehu) - this brought them to immediately say - I want to perfect my traits and be compassionate and gracious like G-d.

The Sefer Ohr HaChaim explains that from the Pasuk's sequence we learn that first a Jew should develop his faith in G-d, he should open his eyes and see G-d in the physical world (This is my G-d) - and then relate it to his legacy of faith, "from my father" ("G-d of my father").

Yechezkel saw the Maasei Merkava (Holy Chariot), is there anything greater than this sight?  Yet we are told that the slavewoman saw more?

Rather Yechezkel saw this great sight through a prophecy, from the upper worlds.  The slavewoman saw it in our physical world.  The Jewish people saw the spiritual world taking place (Hitgasheim) in the physical world.  All this came to them not through an abstract perception, rather they felt through their own senses the holiness, and this brought them to say praise by the sea.  

Rabbi Avigor Miller explains that the method of seeing things with ones own eyes is the best method for one to achieve knowledge of something.  On Pesach we use images - Matzoh, Marror...to give us a greater understanding and feeling of Yetzias Mitzrayim.  Each person is required to "feel as if he himself left Egypt", the best way to achieve this is through seeing live images which relate to the Exodus from Egypt.

Coming closer to G-d through hearing internally:
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Hashem hardened the heart of Pharoh, and he was unable to agreeably let the Jews free.
Hashem warns a person -one time, and then another and finally a third time.  If a person does not repent the first three warnings, his heart is locked from repenting, in order for G-d to repay the person for his sins.  G-d does not only warn Pharoh yet G-d warns all human beings.  The warning that we have is the inner feeling that we have from our conscience, this is the voice of Hashgacha Pratis within each and everyone of us.

An example of this inner voice:

The Chazon Ish explains that when a person meets a Shidduch (a future mate) and feels that his heart is tending to the positive, this may be from that inner Baas Kol which cries out 40 days before the formation of the person, "the daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so".

A person who's ears and heart are tuned on the same channel of Hashgacha Pratis will hear that G-d is constantly talking to him and sending him messages.

A person who merits to see the Hashgacho Pratis in his everyday life, nature turns into a set of miracles for him.

This is what is meant when we are told in the Talmud (Pesachim 118b) "Finding a livelihood to support one's family is greater than the splitting of the Yam Suf...finding one's mate is harder than the splitting of the Yam Suf (Sotah 2a)".

When we are told that something is harder than something else, this deals with things in the natural world, where nature takes its course.  Because only G-d knows how many little miracles are needed to find one's mate and livelihood.  Therefor a person sees his mate and livelihood like the splitting of the Yam Suf.  When a person merits - he is able to see what even great prophets didn't see - that his everyday life is like seeing the Holy Chariot - revealed miracles.

Coming closer through speech:
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The greatness of a person is measured according to the level of one's clinging to G-d through prayer and Torah study.  Rav Stienman Shlita explains this with an excellent idea.  That through prayer one can achieve a higher level of closeness to G-d than that of prophecy.  We find by Avraham Avinu that even though he was in a state of prophecy when G-d came to tell him about the future destruction of Sdom, we see that Avraham "came close" to pray to G-d.  That even though he was in a state of prophecy, when he prayed he came even closer to G-d.

We find by Yechezkel the Prophet that when he saw his prophecy, first he saw the Holy Chariot and only finally did he see the Holy Seat.

When he explains what he saw, he says that "behold a strong wind...and a big cloud...and fire..and then he saw...".

Before Yechezkel was able to see his prophecy, he first saw three partitions that were blocking his prophecy.  To reach his prophecy, he had to pass through these three partitions.

The same is when one comes forward to pray, he also goes through 3 partitions.  First, when one goes forward to pray, immediately comes to him a "strong wind", and he starts to think about his job, his family, his health...and all those things that angered him today.  Once this comes, he starts to forget the meaning of the words that he is saying and they start to flow without any meaning, as if from the darkness, "a big dark cloud".  At the end, he goes through "fire" - the natural heat of passion in man  - his desires, wealth...that create a great partition between man and G-d.  Only once one has conquered and succeeded to subdue these three partitions, can one feel that he is standing in prayer "before G-d".
The Chasam Sofer reached a level that he was able to say, that when he prayed, he never had an external thought enter his mind!

In the previous generations, we see that there were great Torah leaders, yet the Moshiach didn't come in their generation.  If so, how can we expect the Moshiach to come in our lower generation?

Explains Rav Pincus, that the coming of Moshiach will be that he will spread the kindness of G-d to the whole world.  If the Moshiach had come in the time of Yechezkel the Prophet, this would not have been a novelty, because the people were great people.  Yet if Moshiach will come today, in our generation, this will be a innovation, the greater the novelty, the greater the spreading of the miracle.  Just like by the sea, the slavewoman, the lowest of the people, was what brought out the greatness of the miracle.  

Let us prepare ourselves now on Pesach, the time of redemption, for the final redemption.  And let us add hope to the fact that we are simple people with a low generation, that we will merit the coming of the Moshiach speedily in our days!
 
Summary:
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There is a story told about Rav Shlomo Eiger, whose son Reb Leiv became a Chasid, to his father's disappointment.  Reb Leibel spent years as a disciple of the great Rebbe of Kotzk.  When Reb Leibel returned home, his father asked him, "Nu what great things did you learn from your revered Rebbe?"  Reb Leibel answered his father, "I learned that Hashem runs the world."

"For that you had to spend a few years in Kotzk, even the kitchenmaid knows that!", said his father.  Calling the kitchenmaid into the room, he asked her, "who runs the world?".  "Of course Hashem runs the world", said the kitchenmaid.

Reb Leibel answered, "she says it, but after spending a few years of learning in Kotzk, I can now say that I also know it".

For a person to gain a concrete awareness that Hashem is here and runs the world, it is not just a frum way of speaking.  Rather it is literally one of the greatest achievements in human life.  From the outside, one may not realize a change in such a person, but such a person has now reached a plane of existence far above all the rest of us.

(Alei Shur, Lev Avigdor pg 29,  Artscroll Chumash, Alei Shur vol 1(311-316) vol 2 (23-31), Sichos Rav Pincus - Pesach pg 122, 161, What's wrong with being happy pg 43)