Dear Precious Friends,
I pray you are feeling peace and God's presence in the midst of the challenging circumstances of life. With each new day God reminds us in His word that He is with us, He will never leave us or forsake us. His word also reminds us from John 16:33 that "In this world, we will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world. "
Some days it's easy to feel overwhelmed by troubles, worries, and fears. If this happens to us we must remember , God's words: “Peace Be Still”.
We remember in scripture a great visual of truth... “Peace, be still” is the command that Jesus used to calm a nighttime storm on the Sea of Galilee. The passage says that Jesus rebuked the storm—in other words, He told it to calm down in much the same way that a teacher might tell a classroom full of unruly students to calm down. The disciples were awestruck as the wind and waves actually obeyed! The authority Jesus showed gave them a clue as to who He really was.
On a closer reading, we find that it was not only the storm that was raging, but the disciples also. Jesus was asleep in the boat, and the disciples were filled with fear. “The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’” (Mark 4:38). The disciples “raging” in the midst of the raging storm showed their lack of faith. Their question “Don’t you care?” was also an offense to Jesus’ character. Of course Jesus cared for them. Jesus had said, “Let us go over to the other side,” so they should have known that they would make it. And He was with them, a fact that should have taken away fear. I don't know about you, but I can certainly relate to the disciples in the midst of the storm and Jesus was sleeping...
After rebuking the storm, Jesus issues a rebuke to the disciples as well: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). In essence, He was also saying “Peace, be still” to the disciples. “Calm down. I was always in complete control.”
When we read the account of Jesus’ saying “Peace, be still” today, we need to remember that Jesus is always in control of our circumstances, and, when we trust Him, He will calm the raging inside our souls. When we find ourselves raging and tossing and turning on the inside, Philippians 4:6–7 tells us what to do: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” While it is great to see the storm around us calm down, it is even more important that our souls are calm in the midst of the storm. God has not promised to bring peace to every storm, but He has promised to give us peace through any storm if we will trust Him to take care of us.
Life is filled with distractions.... peaks, and valleys that can cause us to lose sight of Who’s really in control.When we feel like our ship is sinking… or perhaps we're overwhelmed, thinking that we can no longer weather the never-ending storms that are rocking our boat, as believers, the good news, is, He’s in the same boat with us! Jesus’ words “Peace, be still!” invite us to calm our anxious hearts and trust in the One who can not only sleep during the storm, but can help us do the same. Although Jesus was asleep in the boat that day, Scripture tells us our God “will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), and is ever aware of all that we need, right when we need it.
If Jesus can calm the waves of the sea, He can certainly calm the storms in you and me. If He can command the elements of the earth, He can control the circumstances around us or the storm-tossed emotions within us. If we find we are struggling with life, remember, “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).
We must remember, no matter what storms may come against us as followers, the Greater One lives on the inside of us! We must remember to Speak to our storms with the power and presence of God and when we do, we walk in peace all the days of our life!
AMEN AND AMEN!
This song by Hope Darst, Peace Be Still....
"Even when our eyes can't see I will trust the voice that speaks."
Take a moment to listen!
God's word, Holy Spirit, Daily devo, Got questions.
