Mark 4:35   And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Storms……To some storms mean adventure and excitement to others they can bring bone-rattling fear. I remember as a kid that anytime storms would move into the area my parents insisted on getting not in the safe place of the house but the car so that we could chase them. One time, in particular, I remember my Dad saying you do not have to worry until I am worried, sound advice right. So being a young boy, I was like ok I am not worried he is not worried. I was shaking in my seat, but anyways. So here we are driving down the road, and it is like the darkest sky I have ever seen, and trees are flying across the street….okay not trees, limbs, but hey it was scary. So there I am not worried cause my dad is not but I am shaking with fear, and then he says we need to get home this is getting worse. Ok don’t worry unless I am worried, well now he is worried so at this moment I am freaking out, I thought we were going to die. In the end, everything was ok but yet still scary.

Storms can be scary for good reason they get bring devastation and destruction at catastrophic levels. Moreover, much like these natural storms, we face storms in our life. The storms of life in some ways are scarier and more devastating then natural storms because of the lack of warning they give. A death in the family, a grim diagnosis, financial troubles, marriage problems, and so forth. So how do we make it through these storms, I mean in a tornado you seek shelter, in a blizzard, you cozy up in front of the fireplace with blankets and hot cocoa, in a hurricane you leave town. However, what about when a family member informed of a bad diagnosis or there’s an unexpected death, or you just got fired and didn’t know where your families next meal will come from. Running and hiding will only make things worse, so what do you do?

You go to the one who with three simple words calmed the storm. Jesus is the prince of peace he can bring peace to whatever storm you are facing. How can that happen, how can someone say that? At nine years old a storm hit my life, it was a Wednesday night when my dad left for good. I remember screaming and crying not wanting him to go; I remember being angry and people holding me. I remember the police were called people were put in handcuffs. That night was one of the worst storms of my life, but it was not the end over the next several years I became angry, disappointment seemed like the norm. We moved several times, but no matter where we went the storm was always on the horizon.

Nearly two years after that horrible night one of the brightest lights in the midst of the storm was snuffed out, my nana died. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and died two or three weeks later. She died August 2, and her funeral was August 4, my birthday. So now its just my mom, my sister and I. After that we faced times where there was nothing in the fridge but miraculously someone would bring a tote full of food, and we would make it another day. Life did get better my Mom met a fantastic guy they got married 53 days after meeting, and I had a Dad again. He was great, but there was still anger, there was still pain. Those things do not go away overnight. For years after that, I struggled with anger and frustration. What changed it all for me, was one big God and three simple words, peace be still.

You see Jesus can speak peace into your life in the most tragic of times when all seems lost, and no hope is in sight. My mom always taught us to lean on God, trust that no matter what would come he was still there. She would tell us that we were special that is why God had chosen us for this journey and that one day God would use us to help someone in need. So if you are I need, if your hurting and nothing else is working remember that there is a God who loves you, he is not asleep but is waiting for you to reach out with your whole heart. John 14:27 says

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The peace that God gives is sincere; it is not a sense of peace like we can find in anything the world has to offer. It is neither fleeting or insubstantial, but it is complete and everlasting. Philippians say it like this

Phil. 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It goes beyond the rational into the supernatural; it is a healing peace. I leave you with this; the peace that God gives is the power to hold the wildest fear in pause, to still a clamor or hush a cry. The peace of God is the coming of mercy to a sense of sin, of life to the fear of death and it is strong enough to calm the most significant storms this life can throw. Peace Be Still.