True Peace
Each of us is in a boat of life, maintaining it and doing our best to steer around obstacles. When we see our need, we choose to invite Jesus to join us. He comes and takes up residence in our boat, ready to do life with us. When things are calm, we have time to talk and we can learn to listen to his words of truth. But when a storm whips up, we suddenly forget he is even in the boat with us.
We paddle furiously, trying to keep our boat afloat. The huge waves lift and toss us about, bringing fear into our throats as the spray stings our eyes. When the water starts leaking in, we grab a bucket and start bailing, wondering how much time we have before we're going down. All the while, we've forgotten who is sleeping in our boat.
Resting calmly is the creator of the universe. Sleeping with his head on a pillow is the One who spoke the water into existence, separating it to form moisture above and liquid below. We have one in our boat who created the natural world and all of it's laws. Yet it's only when we're sure that we're going to drown that we remember and reach out to talk to him. We can't understand why we're the only one in a panic, overcome with fear and in distress.
What does Jesus do? He simply speaks. He tells the wind to pipe down and to the raging sea, he says, "Quiet. Settle down!" The authority in his voice is unmistakable and instantly the wind runs out of breath. The waters become as smooth as glass. We are left with our jaws dropped in awe. The realization that God is with us seeps into our very bones. Why did it take so long for us to access that power?
When we invited Jesus into our boat, did we really know who he was? I think we only see him as a rescuer and we accept his forgiveness. But there's another side to this relationship. There's peace available to us, even in the middle of storms that continue without an end in sight.
That peace only comes when we give up; when we stop striving to do everything and be who we think we need to be. True peace comes as we let go of our expectations and agendas. It comes when we are willing to rely fully on Jesus.
It comes when we have no idea how he will deal with the storm, yet we're willing to trust him in the middle of it. True peace begins when we call out for help and admit our failures. Only then can Jesus take over and bring calm to our storm.
I'm finding that Jesus is interested even in the small storms that rage in my mind; the ones that no one else can even see or understand. He is just waiting for me to admit I can't do it alone.
We paddle furiously, trying to keep our boat afloat. The huge waves lift and toss us about, bringing fear into our throats as the spray stings our eyes. When the water starts leaking in, we grab a bucket and start bailing, wondering how much time we have before we're going down. All the while, we've forgotten who is sleeping in our boat.
Resting calmly is the creator of the universe. Sleeping with his head on a pillow is the One who spoke the water into existence, separating it to form moisture above and liquid below. We have one in our boat who created the natural world and all of it's laws. Yet it's only when we're sure that we're going to drown that we remember and reach out to talk to him. We can't understand why we're the only one in a panic, overcome with fear and in distress.
What does Jesus do? He simply speaks. He tells the wind to pipe down and to the raging sea, he says, "Quiet. Settle down!" The authority in his voice is unmistakable and instantly the wind runs out of breath. The waters become as smooth as glass. We are left with our jaws dropped in awe. The realization that God is with us seeps into our very bones. Why did it take so long for us to access that power?
When we invited Jesus into our boat, did we really know who he was? I think we only see him as a rescuer and we accept his forgiveness. But there's another side to this relationship. There's peace available to us, even in the middle of storms that continue without an end in sight.
That peace only comes when we give up; when we stop striving to do everything and be who we think we need to be. True peace comes as we let go of our expectations and agendas. It comes when we are willing to rely fully on Jesus.
It comes when we have no idea how he will deal with the storm, yet we're willing to trust him in the middle of it. True peace begins when we call out for help and admit our failures. Only then can Jesus take over and bring calm to our storm.
I'm finding that Jesus is interested even in the small storms that rage in my mind; the ones that no one else can even see or understand. He is just waiting for me to admit I can't do it alone.
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