Category: Finding peace

RESTING IN THE STORM

When life rocks me to the core, there is hope.

Lately I have been having a rough time with a back injury. I’m so glad that Jenny wrote this piece:

This made no sense!  The Master never makes mistakes, but this is a big one!  He suggested we cross the lake.  Now, here we are on the verge of sinking.  In all my years of fishing, never have I seen a squall of this magnitude.  We are taking in water alarmingly faster than we can possibly bail out, yet there he is sleeping!  The waves rock violently almost tipping over the boat and yet he sleeps.  His soaking wet body rests on a waterlogged cushion, yet he sleeps.  We holler at each other just to hear above the howling wind and crashing waves. Yet he sleeps as peacefully as a well-fed baby in his mother’s arms.

OUR LOOMING DEMISE

When the wind first picked up, we realized a squall was coming and prepared for it.  Most of us were seasoned fishermen and know what to do when bad weather strikes.  But this was different. On the brink of disaster, we have no choice but to wake the Master and make him aware of our looming demise. 

HOW COULD HE BE SLEEPING?

We wanted to let him rest, knowing how exhausted he is.  Preaching and healing fatigues him at times.  But how can a person rest in the middle of a raging storm?    Frantically shouting and shaking him awake, we asked, “How can you be sleeping?  We are going to drown in this storm!  Don’t you care?”

WHERE IS YOUR FAITH?

His eyes blink open and realizing the magnitude of the storm, he stands up and rebukes the wind and the waves.  To our astonishment, immediately the wind stopped blowing and the sea turned to glass.   Our mouths still agape as he turns toward us and compassionately rebukes us with one question; “Where is your faith?” (As told by one of the Twelve)

NO MISTAKE ON BEING ON THAT BOAT

How often I ponder these events and think of how the wind and waves obeyed the Lord.  I understand there was no mistake about being in the boat that day.  That storm proves a valuable lesson.  We learn that Jesus, the creator of the universe, has all power and authority over nature.  In all circumstances we need to stay focused on Christ and not be shaken by what is happening around us.  Just as Jesus rested during the storm, we can rest in him and not be overwhelmed by life’s storms.  We can aim to rest as peacefully as Jesus did that day on the boat. 

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR STORMS

Read Mark 4:35-41 and ponder the wonders of Jesus.  What storms are you facing?  Are you looking at the storm through spiritual eyes or earthly eyes?  Do you stay in peace as life’s trials feel like waves crashing over the boat?  Picture being on the boat with the disciples.  Imagine the placid sea after Jesus’ rebuke. What a blessing to know the Savior who can calm all our storms.  The storms are real, but they no longer need to rock us to our core.

Click to listen to the Lewis’ story of being in the center of the storm

PEACE BE STILL

Life can be uncertain, scary and confusing. Drowning in the heaviness of circumstances, we have the choice to reach out and cry, “Lord, save me!”

A great distance from land, the boat appears as a mere speck in the horizon. The wind whips the waves higher and higher. Accounts in Matthew 24 and Mark 4 describe the terror of the disciples in the midst of two different storms.  In the Gospel of Matthew, they see in the distance a figure. Is that actually a person walking across the water? The men cry out in fear. Then they hear the voice. It belongs to the One they love: Jesus. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Amidst the surf, Jesus calls across to Peter, “Come!” Slowly Peter raises one foot over the side of the boat. Suddenly he finds himself actually standing on water. Despite being soaking wet, Peter makes his way toward the Savior.

Then comes that monster wave. It almost knocks Peter over. Startled, Peter wonders what in the world he is doing, attempting to walk across the Sea of Galilee. Fear fills his soul. Peter stops looking at Jesus and takes in the reality of his circumstances. Doubts flood his heart. The seas grab his attention. Peter begins to sink. Before he totally goes under, in terror he screams, “Lord save me!” Jesus reaches out and pulls Peter up from the waters.

Sadly, shaking His head, Jesus cries, “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?” From Peter’s very first step, Jesus knew what a difficult test this would be. It pushed self-confident Peter beyond all his human abilities.

God does His best work when we come to the same realization as Peter: we cannot save ourselves. Notice the progression. Peter had to make that first step of faith out of the boat before his faith, or lack thereof, could be revealed.

Life can be uncertain, scary and confusing. Drowning in the heaviness of circumstances, we have the choice to reach out and cry, “Lord, save me!” Not until we invite the Savior does Jesus enter and make our twisted ways straight. Jesus does not tell us to hide away from the storms in the bottom of a boat. He tells us to get out of the boat and walk toward Him, regardless of our crisis. Only after that initial step does our Savior then whisper, “Peace be still.”

Click for further info on what Jesus means by “Peace be still”

PEACE BE STILL

God does His best work when we come to the same realization as Peter: we cannot save ourselves.

A great distance from land, the boat is merely be a speck in the horizon. The wind whips the waves higher and higher. The disciples are terrified when they see in the distance a figure. Is that actually a person walking across the water? The men cry out in fear. Then they hear the voice. It belongs to the One they love: Jesus. “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Amidst the surf, Jesus calls across to Peter, “Come!” Slowly Peter raises one foot over the side of the boat. Suddenly he finds himself actually standing on water. Despite being soaking wet, Peter makes his way toward the Savior.

Then comes that monster wave. It almost knocks Peter over. Startled Peter wonders what in the world he is doing, attempting to walk across the Sea of Galilee. Fear fills his soul. Peter stops looking at Jesus and takes in the reality of his circumstances. Doubts flood his heart. The seas grab his attention. Peter begins to sink. Before he totally goes under, in terror he cries, “Lord save me!” Jesus reaches out and pulls Peter up from the waters.

Sadly, shaking His head, Jesus cries, “Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

From Peter’s very first step, Jesus knew what a difficult test this would be. It pushed self-confident Peter beyond all human skills. Peter had to realize he could not save himself. God does His best work when we come to the same realization as Peter: we cannot save ourselves.

When we are pushed beyond our abilities and understand we have no power of our own to save ourselves. Drowning in the heaviness of life, we reach out and cry, “Lord, save me!” It’s not until we invite the Savior, does Jesus enter and make our twisted ways straight. The Savior then whispers, “Peace be still.”

Click for further info on what Jesus means by “Peace be still”