peace, be still

That day when evening came, He said to His disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."  Leaving the crowd behind, they took Him along, Just as He was, in the boat.  There were also other boats with Him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.  The disciples woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet!  Be still!"  Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  Mark 4:35-39

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.  Philippians 4:6-7

Have you ever felt like you were in that boat with Jesus and the disciples?  In the midst of a furious squall with waves battering the boat and wondering, "Jesus, don't you care if I drown?"  I was there one day this week.  The storm was raging around me and wave after wave of lies from the enemy knocked me off my feet.  With everything in me, I was trying not to be pulled under into a place of despair where the lies become truth in my heart.

When I arrived home that evening, my husband said, "Go for a walk."  He knows that my ears are more attuned to God when my feet are moving.  It wasn't long before I heard THE quiet whisper in my spirit saying, "Peace, be still!"  The lies were silenced and my heart and my mind and my spirit were still.  Peace is a glorious thing and a gift from God!

I believe that God has given us the ability to speak "peace, be still" to the storms in our lives.  Romans 8:11 says that the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is living in us who are Christians and will give life to our mortal bodies.  In that case, our words have life and power in them.  Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 and the Bible is filled with verses about peace, including my favorite in Philippians 4.  It is obviously a gift that God has given to us and He wants us to receive it.

We can speak the words of Jesus, peace, be still, to ourselves and the circumstances around us before the waves overtake us.  That's a habit I want to develop!