The Calm Before the Storm

Have you ever been in a state of panic?

I’m not talking about the type of panic that you experience when you’re trying to figure out what to wear on your date. I’m talking about true panic…the kind that literally paralyzes you (or causes you to behave in a way you’ve never behaved before). I’m talking about the kind of panic that has you staring at death (as you see it).

With that said, I’m going to be 32 yrs old this week, and I’m staring death in the face!

Ok, that’s being dramatic, and I’m totally kidding (about me staring death in the face), but I do recall a time several years ago where I literally thought I was going to die.

I was off the coast of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and had just jumped into the water with flippers, goggles, and snorkel gear in tact. My world was practically in mute, except for the deafening muffled sound of my suppressed breathing. I was Darth Vader. I had never snorkeled in my life, and here I was, abandoned by my friends and family and immersed in a foreign world.

To my right was the boat. Within ten feet of me was an idling propeller, keeping the boat from drifting into the cliff nearby. I kept envisioning getting sucked under the propeller and becoming bait. To my left was a coral cliff, with waves crashing into it like a round of punches from the Russian boxer, Ivan Drago in the movie Rocky IV. Beneath me was a world of creatures I’ve never met in person before. For all I knew, sharks and Piranhas were waiting for my tasty dangling feet (yes, I know that Piranhas are freshwater fish, but when you’re panicking, all logic is out the door). And then there was the plastic contraption in my mouth that was force feeding me filthy, feces infested salted water, taunting me with thoughts of death by drowning.

Did I mention I’m not a good swimmer? And no, I did NOT have a life vest on. My girlfriend at the time was a former Division I swimmer that had been olympic bound. I wasn’t about to humiliate myself that way too.

Well, this must have been the sort of panic that was robbing the peace of the Israelites as they were sandwiched between an army of Egyptians and a large body of water. They had no where to go, and they were facing imminent death (or slavery).

So, what was their reaction?

In Exodus 14:11, you’ll see that they turned on their leader, Moses. After all, they were terrified.They had plenty to say:

Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!

Do you think they were panicked? Do you think they feared for their lives?

Now, let’s look at this from Moses’ perspective. How must he have been feeling? Well, its speculated that there were approximately 2-3 million Israelites that followed him out of Egypt…so you tell me. Would you have been scared if even 100 people wanted to kill you? Moses had many more angry and terrified people regretting their decision to follow him.

But this was his response:

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Seriously? That was Moses’ response? Have you ever told someone who was panicking for their life to stop panicking and to be still? That’s not going to help you if you’re trying to save a drowning person, so what gave him confidence to say this to them?

WHY WAS MOSES AT PEACE?

If you read Exodus 14, you’ll notice a few things.

1. God didn’t tell the Israelites His plan. He only told Moses.
2. God didn’t reveal every detail of His plan, but He did give him a promise.
3. God instructed Moses to do something crazy (verses 2-4)
4. Moses Obeyed

Isn’t that interesting? God didn’t tell the Israelites what He told Moses. Why do you think that is?

I don’t know much about those Israelites (and neither do we), but we know a lot more about Moses and his character. We know that he loved God. We also know that he was tight with God. They were homeboys. They had a bond. And when you have a relationship that strong, you become privy to knowledge that someone “outside the circle” won’t know, and that brings peace of mind.

So what can we learn from this?

THERE ARE (4) KEY ELEMENTS TO GETTING PEACE IN OUR LIVES

1. The stronger our RELATIONSHIP with God, the greater the peace we experience in our lives. (see Ephesians 2:12-16, Psalm 29:11)
2. You can’t have a relationship without communication. If we are going to communicate with God, we must PRAY. (see Phillippians 4:4-9)
3. A relationship without TRUST has no peace. (see Isaiah 26:3)
4. We must OBEY God if we want peace in our lives. (see Isaiah 57:2, Psalm 85:8)

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND

Remember, God spoke to Moses because he had a close relationship with him. If you’re not hearing God’s whispers, maybe your not that tight with Him. Moses was always communicating with God. And over time, as that relationship grew, Moses gained trust in God’s word, power, and character.

But keep in mind, God didn’t give Moses the play-by-play. He didn’t tell Moses HOW he was going to save them, He just said he would save them. It ultimately required Moses to step out in faith and obey God in order to see God’s promise realized.

Wanting God’s peace in your life? Are you finding that you exhibit more characteristics of an Israelite in times of panic? Or are you like Moses? Focus on your relationship with God by praying, trusting, and obeying Him, then you’ll experience God’s peace in your life.