The Peace Speaker

Have you ever been sound asleep, resting and relaxing, and suddenly, you hear a noise that startles you?  Your heart begins to beat fast, and that anxious feeling comes over you instantly.  Your sleep is interrupted, and your peace has been disturbed.

This is a terrible feeling.

I often think of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee in the middle of the night.  Life was good.  Maybe a gentle breeze blew, and they were resting from a long day of ministry. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the winds began to blow, and the boat began to rock as the waves started crashing into the vessel.  They were taking on water, and the boat was at risk of being destroyed!  They were in danger!  Their peaceful night had been threatened by worry and fear.  They were anxious, unsettled, and caught unaware.  What was going to happen to them?  Would they make it safely to land?  Would they get through this storm in one piece? Would they drown?  So many questions and not one answer at that moment!  Their peace had been disturbed.

In the midst of the chaos, the disciples remembered Jesus. They needed His help!  Didn’t He care that they were in a desperate situation?  Wasn’t He concerned that they may perish?  Why wasn’t He coming to their rescue?  Was He going to let them die?  I’m sure all these questions went through the minds of the disciples that night when they were fighting for their lives in the dark of the night, in the middle of the unknown.

Where was Jesus?  As they began to search the boat, wondering where their Savior was, they finally found Him!  He was sleeping like a baby in the bottom of the boat.  He wasn’t worried.  He wasn’t frightened.  He wasn’t caught unaware.  He didn’t panic.  He woke up, spoke to the fierce winds and waves, and commanded them to be still. It was at that moment that the wind ran out of breath!  Their peace that was disturbed was now in control and every fear vanished.

It’s easy to judge the disciples and wonder how they could have been so frightened and anxious when the commander of the storm was physically with them on the boat.  I have been guilty of that myself.  When I find myself criticizing them, I remember that I, too, have had storms arise in my life.  I have been caught unaware and totally off guard.  In those moments, fear began to overtake me, and worry started creeping in.  I have cried out to the Lord, “Where are you? Have you forgotten me?  Do you care that I am drowning in anxiety?”.  Then, I realize He patiently waits for me to look to Him.  Every single time, I find Him, ready to come to my rescue.

Unfortunately, in life, storms will come. Sometimes, we are expecting them, and many times, they catch us unaware. One thing we can be sure of is that we can always find Jesus in the middle of the wind and waves, ready to save us.

May we always be reminded not to put more confidence in the storm than in the one who controls it?  When we call out to Him, He will rebuke the rain and take the breath out of the wind. He is faithful to safely lead us through every storm that we are prepared for and the ones that take us by surprise.  He is our peace speaker!