Our Hope: “Peace, Be Still!”

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’  And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”  (Mark 4:39, NKJV)

We all have times when we crave only one thing…peace.  Yet it evades us with a passion we cannot imagine.  It seems like no matter what we do to obtain it, we cannot grab it and hold on to it.  Even though we flock to the things that others tell us will bring us the peace we so desperately need, it is still quite often impossible to catch and keep.

Could it be we look for peace in all the wrong places?  Friends tell us to read a good book, take a long walk or watch a good movie.  Or perhaps we need to have a heart-to-heart with someone we love and trust and then we will feel peace.  Now, please understand, all of these things can indeed bring rest and calmness, which are forms of peace.  But in those times when we are hurting in our spirit, the illusion of peace will not sustain us.

Jesus is the peace we crave in those times.  He Himself is peace.  He is the only One who can bring the peace that will calm the inner soul.  When we have that kind of peace, we will be able to rest, to breathe, to look the world in the eye, head on.  We need fear no one, we will not quake at adversity, we will not fail in what we do.  But this peace only comes when we spend time with Him, and when we put our complete faith and trust in Him.  We have to know Him so well that there is no doubt in our minds, or our hearts, that He will calm the storm on our behalf.  Our circumstances may not change, but our attitudes and our strength will.

“But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’  And they feared exceedingly, and  said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?'”  (Mark 4:40-41, NKJV)

How is it that we have so little faith?  Jesus said, “Peace, be still!”, and the winds and the sea calmed. Even the disciples did not have the faith they should have had, and they did know Him well.  They spent 3 years with Him.  Yet they were only men.  They failed in their test of faith.

We can know Him that well, trust Him in all things, and go to Him with our hearts and souls bared, completely vulnerable.  He is Our Hope. He alone is the One we should trust for peace, for calm, for rest.  He loves us, and He will never punish us for turning to Him when we need Him.  He loves for us to come to Him and to be real and honest with Him.

If you are needing peace, bow before Him today.  Do not wait.  Do not face the storms alone because you really don’t have to.  This is why Jesus is Our Hope.  He is the reason we have hope.

Has there been a time when you needed peace so much that you let the walls guarding your heart down, and poured everything out to Jesus?  If so, please share with me in the comment section of this post.  I want to read your testimony of the faithfulness of Our Hope.

Blessings!