Waxing the Unconnected Idol

Suggested Reading: Judges 6:11-16, 22-27 or the whole story - Judges 6:1-32

I was a kid when the original Karate Kid came out in the theater. I didn't get to see it until it came out on video, back in the days when you rented a VCR so you could watch your rented movies. (As I write this, I suddenly feel much older than I really am.) One of the best scenes of that movie was during Daniel's first karate training session when Mr. Miyagi has him wash and wax his cars. Showing him the particular motion he wants him to make with both hands, Mr. Miyagi repeats, "Wax on, wax off. Wax on, wax off."

One of the reasons that phrase made it into the mainstream of American culture was because, though Daniel couldn't see it, the audience knew exactly what was happening. Daniel was being taught karate without knowing it. Before Daniel could actually do karate, there were some foundations that had to be laid. Before he could get to kicking and punching, Daniel had to learn blocking and balance or the attacks would never work.

There is a character in the book of Judges that, I think, must have been just as confused as Daniel when he began his career for God. Gideon was the youngest member of the weakest family of Mannaseh. God appeared to him and called him to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors, the Midianites. After Gideon grudgingly accepted the calling, God's first command must have seemed like, "Wax on, wax off," to Gideon's ears: "Tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound" (Judges 6:25-26, CSB). If I was Gideon, I would probably have asked, "God, how does tearing down an idol's altar bring deliverance to my people?"

But just like the audience of Karate Kid, you can already make a pretty good guess about what is really going on. In order for God to truly deliver his people, the original trap they had fallen into had to be removed. The worship of idols, which had brought God's wrath in the first place, had to go. As long as those idols still stood, any deliverance God might bring would be fleeting.

We each have something like that in our own lives. God has called us to do something, or we have asked God to deliver us and the response we hear seems unrelated. "Lord, help us get out from under all this debt," we ask, and God responds, "Bring the tithe into the storehouse." "Lord, help me get that promotion at work," we plead, and God responds, "Step up your commitment to my kingdom." Confused because we don't see the connection, we think, "God wouldn't ask me to do that," or "I'll get to that, God, but I need help with this first." And just like Gideon and Daniel, God may be trying to lay the right foundation in our lives.

Is there an area where you have been seeking deliverance or wanting God to come through for you? Do you seem to hear God speaking about something totally unrelated? Chances are, it's not unrelated at all.

Preparing the Disciples for the Crane Kick

Suggested Reading: Luke 10:1-12, Luke 22:35-38

In the original Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio, once his training began with Mr Miyagi, Daniel couldn't wait to learn to kick or punch. He was overly eager to learn those things. But Mr Miyagi insisted on teaching Daniel balance and defense first. From the teacher's viewpoint, those things were foundational and he wanted Daniel to be able to defend himself and maintain his balance before he ever thought of going on offense. Eventually, however, he was allowed to begin kicking and punching and even learned the famous Crane Kick which won the tournament. But without his lessons in balance, Daniel never would have mastered the Crane Kick. He never would have won the tournament.

In the book of Luke, we see a similar dynamic with Jesus and the disciples. While training them, Jesus sends them out in pairs to preach the good news, but he has some special instructions for them. Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road (Luke 10:4, NLT).  But later, as he is preparing to send them out again, knowing he is about to leave them, Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?” “No,” they replied. “But now,” he said, “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!" (Luke 22:35-36, NLT).  Jesus wanted his disciples to have all of the necessary tools for survival, but he wanted all of those tools to be used in an attitude of faith. So the first time he sent them out, he made them rely on God not just for protection but also for food and shelter, because faith is foundational to all we do as believers. Without it, we can never use any of our other tools in the proper fashion.

Sometimes, we get frustrated that God isn't allowing us to do the things we want, that our life isn't moving fast enough. If you find yourself feeling like you are stuck, consider that God may want you to learn something important before you are ready to move forward. Maybe your faith needs to grow, maybe you need to learn a particular skill, maybe you need a particular experience to prepare you for something down the road. As good a trainer as Mr Miyagi was, God is even better.  If you feel like God is holding you back for some reason or another, search for the lesson you need to learn. That lesson may be essential for the rest of your life.

Mr. Miyagi and the Power of Asking

Suggested Reading: Matthew 14:22-29

Daniel was running for his life. He had played a prank on the school bully in an attempt to get even with him and he was now being chased by the bully's entire gang of goons. They finally caught up with him as he tried to jump the fence surrounding his apartment complex and they pulled him down, kicking and pummeling him without mercy. Suddenly a shadowy figure flew over the fence, ambushing Daniel's attackers. In a flurry of kicks and chops, Mr Miyagi subdued each of Daniel's assailants as Daniel seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. When Daniel awoke, he asked Mr Miyagi why he had never mentioned that he knew karate. Mr Miyagi replied, "You never asked."

We miss out on a lot in life because we never ask. We don't get a raise because we never ask. We don't go out with that cute girl because we never ask. We miss our favorite thanksgiving food because we don't ask for it. So many things we never learn or experience because we just never ask. There are even some things in our walk with God we miss out on because we simply never ask.

As Isaiah was standing before God's throne, he heard God ask, "Who will we send as a messenger to these people? Who will go for us?" And Isaiah replied, "Here am I Lord! Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8, NLT). As Peter watched Jesus walking on the water across the lake, he cried out, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water" (Matthew 14:28, NLT). In both cases, God did something incredible in these men's lives. God did the miraculous in a way that changed the world through both men. But both men asked to be used. God did not force it on them. He allowed them to be in the right place at the right time, but in both cases the miraculous hinged on their willingness to ask God if they could be a part of what he was doing, if they could be where he already was.

Sometimes, God goes out of the way to get our attention like God did with Saul on the road to Damascus. But at other times, God wants us to ask to be a part of what God is doing. If you want God to do the miraculous in your life, if you want God to use you in an incredible way, don't be afraid to ask. In fact, God may just be waiting for you to ask so that the impossible can begin.

Mr. Miyagi and God's Ruined Underwear

Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 13:1-11

One of the great movie scenes of all time comes from the original Karate Kid with Ralph Macchio. Mr. Miyagi has promised to teach karate to a bullied Daniel so that he can compete in a tournament and get the kids at school to leave him alone. But after weeks of training, all Daniel has learned is how to wax cars (wax one, wax off), to sand floors, and to paint houses and fences. Daniel finally starts throwing a tantrum in his frustration and  Mr. Miyagi says, "Show me wax on, wax off!" and attacks. Only then does Daniel realize that all of the housework he has been doing was designed to teach his muscles how to move and that he has been learning karate without realizing it. All along, Mr. Miyagi had a plan that included more than housework but until that moment Daniel simply couldn't see it.

Jeremiah 13 is a passage where God's plan seems an odd way of doing things. Remember, Jeremiah was a prophet tasked with bringing people the word of God. But in this chapter, it seems like God has suddenly taken a page from Mr. Miyagi's book. He tells Jeremiah, "Go and buy yourself linen underwear and put it on, but don't get it wet" (Jeremiah 13:1, HCSB). The first time I read this I thought, What? Is God trying to correct Jeremiah's bad hygiene? But Jeremiah is obedient and he follows God's instructions. Then God orders Jeremiah, "Take the underwear that you bought and are wearing, and go at once to the Euphrates River and hide it in a rocky crevice" (13:4, HCSB).  Then I was wondering what kind of obsession God might have with my own underwear?

A few verses later, we are told that God waits a long time and then tells Jeremiah to go and retrieve the underwear from its hiding place. Jeremiah discovers that it is nasty and ruined and no longer good for anything. God then uses the ruined underwear as an illustration to explain to Jeremiah God's next message for the people--a message about them being ruined and not useful for anything.

If you have been following Jesus long, I'm sure you have discovered that not everything God leads you to do makes sense at the time. In fact, sometimes God's direction leaves us scratching our heads and wondering, Why did God want me to do that? But God always has a plan. Most of the time, though, God is so far ahead of us that we can't even begin to see the context for God's commands. Sometimes, it is just really hard for us to make any sense at all of God's commands. But when we trust God, when we have become accustomed to hearing God's voice and watching God's plans for our lives and for the world unfold around us, we can obey God's calling regardless of whether we understand the end-game or not.

Just because God's call doesn't make sense, that doesn't mean you've misunderstood or imagined God's call. Sometimes, God is just so far ahead of us we have trouble keeping up. Trust God. Obey God's call on your life. One of these days you'll look back and wonder how you didn't realize exactly what was coming.