October 16, 2019
In our troubled world, the idea of a mind at peace seems nearly impossible. The opposite of peace is turmoil and confusion. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” There is an obvious connection between peace and trust.
Matthew chapter 8 has the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat while the disciples battled a fierce storm. In desperate fear, they woke Him up. I can only imagine the fear, confusion and turmoil in their minds. The One Who claimed to be God was sleeping when it appeared they were all going to drown.
Jesus challenged their faith, questioned their reason to be afraid, rebuked the winds “and it was completely calm.” It is a vivid example of the relationship of trust and peace and the obvious Source of that peace. Who else on Planet Earth is capable of calming a storm? Jesus can be trusted.
Every human needs to experience two aspects of peace. The first is Peace with God that is possible only through an eternal connection with Him because of Jesus. To know that the sin that separated us from Him has been taken away by Jesus’ death is powerful assurance that we are at peace with Him.
The second aspect is to know the Peace of God. Being in God’s family does not mean that we will always feel peace within ourselves. Our daily peace can be interrupted by the death of a loved one, financial challenges, relationship issues, health concerns – the list goes on. It is during these times that we remember our permanent connection with the One Who is trustworthy all the time – the One Who calms the storm.
If we will allow God to give us the faith to believe Him for eternal life, we are ready to accept the faith He wants to give us today during the storms of life. We will then experience peace of mind – a gift from the Creator.
Pastor Bill Ehmann