In the storm spoken of in Mark 4, a simple boat ride across the Sea of Galilee at the end of a busy day, seeking perhaps a quietness apart from the crowds, any peace that may have been sought was violently assaulted. Jesus was in the boat with His disciples, but He was asleep, and the wind-beaten disciples were being soaked by the chilling rain and frustrated by the futility of their situation. They were anxious as we sometimes are for a peace that would quiet their situation, give them a sense of security, and enable the tyranny of the urgent to be replaced with what is truly important. As they furiously cried out to their sleeping Master, He brought the calm they so desperately wanted. The Old Testament Jews brought sacrifices to express their yearning for peace. The angels who awakened the shepherds spoke of peace. Paul, in writing to the early church, acknowledged the gifts of grace and peace God gives to us. He writes too of a peace that is the fruit of the Spirit’s work within us. And when we get stuck in the muck or we are frenzied with our frantic busyness or broken with our failures or our sorrows, we cry for peace.
And in the weariness of our striving, Christ calls to us. I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled and afraid. He is calling. Are we listening? It is the nature of the world we live in that our peace is assaulted. But we don’t have to stay there. The muck, the busyness, and the brokenness are all real, but Jesus promises us peace in the midst of it. Where is your muck or busyness or brokenness? In openness and honesty, lay it out before God, and then ask Him to soften it all with His peace.
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: Mark 4:35-41)
