Advice for the Midst of Life’s Storms
“And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.” -Exodus 24:13-14
What the people of Israel did not realize in the above verses, as Moses was about to ascend up into the burning and flaming mount of God, was that they themselves were now entering a storm.
The people were now entering a trial: a stormy trial that would try and prove their hearts, and show what kind of people they truly were.
In many instances in life, we as Christians will face storms: that is, tests and difficulties will arise for the express purpose of trying our hearts, and show us what we are truly made of.
Yet we ought to notice a few details of this storm that Israel went through, and learn from it for our own life:
1.) The storm was not announced. God did not tell the people in advance that He was trying them and testing them to see how they would respond. It was up to the people to discern that such difficulties were sent from the hand of God, and act accordingly.
2.) The storm was not scheduled or timed. That is, God did not prescribe ahead of time the duration of the trial, or else the people would be most easily able to endure the hardship. The ending was not revealed ahead of time.
3.) Just before the storm, there were specific instructions that were to be followed. The people could not claim ignorance, but were told how they ought to respond in such circumstances.
Crucial advice for life’s storms
Of the three points listed above, perhaps the most relevant and helpful would be number three. Let’s analyze what occurred with Moses and the children of Israel, and see how they should’ve handled the situation.
First, Moses was to go up to the mount of God and receive the law for the people. “Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them” (Exodus 24:12). While he was gone, there was a very specific command given that is important for us today. Moses told the people these words:
“Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you:” -Exodus 24:14
The people were to wait. Their assignment was to trust in God. “Tarry ye here…” That is, wait. They would be tempted to give up hope, to look to another savior, or another god, and abandon the true God who had delivered them.
Moses did not tell the people how long he was going to be gone for. The people no doubt expected him to only leave for a day or two at the most. They certainly did not expect his extended visit: “And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:17-18).
Falling just short of the finish line
The length of the trial was no doubt part of the very test itself. And unfortunately, just before the end, they gave up hope and failed the test. Since they were hid from the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, they became nervous, and pulled out just before the end was to come. They just fell short of the goal, and instead fell into idolatry.
“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” -Exodus 32:1
So they failed. God gave Moses the report card back for the people, and there was a big “F” written on it. But what should we learn from this? How can we avoid such calamity in our own lives?
First, we ought to realize that storms will undoubtedly come, and they will come unexpectedly and without warning.
Second, our trials will not have a little expiration date stamped on the side, showing us how long we must endure before they are over. Part of the trial itself is the unknown duration of the difficulty. This increases our faith, and brings us closer to God.
But lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have the advice of scripture to wait. We are to weather the storm. We ought to realize that it is a very common and universal inclination to say to ourselves in the midst of storms, “don’t just stand there, do something!” Yet it was this very mentality that got the people in trouble.
We ought to resist the temptations to turn aside to something—anything—other than God. Do not make and turn to that “golden calf” that you are weighed upon and pressed in your heart to create. Weather the storm. Stay the course. The night does not endure forever, neither does the winter continue indefinitely. The storm shall undoubtedly someday pass: but when the clouds part, and the sun shines down upon you, will you be found faithfully waiting, or will you be caught in shameful idolatry?
“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” -Deuteronomy 8:2-3
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