Moses accepted the invitation and settled there (Midian) with him (Jethro)….They (Israelites) cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God…He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.
— Exodus 2
Those of us who were teens in the 1980s immediately recognize the phrase “wax on, wax off.”
In the movie “The Karate Kid,” Mr. Miyagi trains his young student Daniel LaRusso by taking him to some old cars and teaching him how to wax.
As the chores continue to grow, so does Daniel’s frustration level.
Finally, he has had enough. He gets ready to storm out when Mr. Miyagi has him perform the moves he learned with all the different tasks.
They turn out to be the base set of karate defense. Whoa! Mind blown, Daniel continues his training.
In Exodus 2, we’re introduced to a Hebrew man named Moses.
His life story is a little unusual, to say the least. He miraculously escapes death at birth. He’s adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, so he grows up in wealth and privilege. He murders an Egyptian for beating a fellow Hebrew.
He runs away to escape Pharaoh, meets some Midianite shepherdesses, marries one and has kids.
Then, God calls on his burning bush phone.
It turns out all of Moses’ life experiences were connected to a much bigger story, God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt.
Of course, the story of their deliverance was ultimately connected to Jesus and his mission.
The truth is, so is our story.
Without a doubt, there is so much more in play than meets our eyes.
God is always at work. His providential hand is continually moving in your life and mine.
Daniel wasn’t just painting fences. Moses wasn’t just watching sheep. You and I aren’t just a pinball bouncing around being hit with divine flippers until our game is over.
Nope. We’re in the big leagues.
This life is our time at the plate.
Please don’t miss the forest for all the trees.
Just stay calm
The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
— Exodus 14
I have attempted to stand-up paddleboard one time in my life.
That was one time too many.
I beat myself to a pulp falling over and over again. In between my vain attempts at standing, I was sitting on the board, and I saw a dark shadow in the water. I quickly got to my knees and stared into the water, and sure enough swimming straight toward me was a 6-foot barracuda.
I thought, “Thank you, Lord! It’s not a shark.” Then I thought, “O Lord, help! There’s a 6-foot barracuda swimming right at me!”
Mostly I thought, “Just stay calm … just stay calm …”
There’s something about rocks and hard places that improves our prayer lives instantaneously. At least, there should be.
The people of Israel turned to panic, fear and angry criticism of Moses, who led them between the rock of the Egyptian army and the hard place of the sea.
On purpose no less!
As it turns out, it was actually God’s doing. He was about to display his glory.
What did Moses tell the people to do?
“Do not be afraid.”
“Just stand still.”
“Watch the Lord rescue you.”
“Just stay calm.”
What will we do when it’s our turn at the water’s edge? Those times are coming. Whether they are the result of our own bad decisions, the bad decisions of others or simply the fact we’re living in a world under sin’s curse, the rocks and the hard places are coming.
We’ve been in some already. We may be in one today. Our tomorrows have some real doozies in store for us.
Our responses in those moments will reveal what we truly believe about God and the condition of our relationship with him.
As we enter our days with Jesus, we have every reason to “just … stay … calm.”
Wiles is senior minister of Fall Creek Christian Church in Pendleton. He can be reached at 765-778-3166.