How to Have Peace and Be Still When Trouble Arrives
You can stand firm and have peace through the storm when you have calm DESPITE the crashing waves. When troubles rock our footing, we forget what we know. Panic slips in to rob us of our ability to think. Instead of standing strong, we are slipping in the storm and hitting our head as we go down.
It’s not pretty. The only way out of the mess is to find your way to stay calm.
Storms will happen. If you are expecting a life without storms then you are living in a pretend world. Things will happen. Storms will roll through. Troubles and trials will come at you.
The key will be how you react when they do.
“Peace. Be still.” That’s what Jesus told the storm. I’m beginning to understand He may have meant that as much for the jumpy disciples in the boat with Him as He did for the waves.
Have peace. Be still.
My sons and I were talking about how Peter walked on water – actually we were talking about April Fool’s Day jokes and memes, and it led to a discussion about Peter which led to talking about Peter walking on water . . . well, we go there – eventually.
Conversations can take random turns like that around our house.
I was impressing on everyone who would listen, my recent revelation about how close Peter had come. Peter walked on water – stormy water, no less. He had gotten “this close” to Jesus before he let his focus slip. Peter was LITERALLY close enough to reach out and grab Jesus and he lost focus.
Instead of reaching out to Jesus, Jesus reached out to Peter as Peter sank into the stormy waters. Peter had turned his focus from Jesus to the storm (and circumstances) around him, and they pulled him down.
My husband was the one to share the room rocking revelation.
“Peter was a fisherman,” my husband offered.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Peter was a FISHERMAN.
Most of us realize Peter was a fisherman, after all, it talks about him working on the boat and fixing nets. But think on this fact for a moment. Because Peter was a fisherman, he spent all of his time around water (or a lot of it anyway). He spent a lot of time IN the water. At the end of the Gospel, it shares how Peter dives in the water from the boat.
In other words, Peter knew how to swim. Despite what he knew, he freaked out when he started to sink into the storm.
Peter had the ability to swim. He had the ability to get back in the boat. If he wanted, Peter could have made the choice to swim to shore (which is what he does in that other Scripture I mentioned). And yet, in a moment of lost focus, all Peter could do was cry out to Jesus.
Storms are going to happen, and when they do it is possible to lose what we know in a moment of lost focus. You have to find your way to have peace and be still.
Be blessed,
Practical Scripture Thoughts
Practical Proverbs takes the encouraging words in Proverbs and provide practical tips for applying them to daily life.
Order your copy today.
