Peace in the Storm

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Life is an endless struggle. From the cradle to the grave you struggle through the storms of life. Every beat of your heart or every breath that you take serves to remind you of the tenuous and uncertain hold you have on life. You are constantly beaten and battered, and you become weary and worn by the vicissitudes of life. For example, you struggle with your mortality, with unfulfilled needs, and with the fear of the unknown. You struggle with relationships in your home, on your job, and with your friends. As every living thing in the path of a hurricane must struggle to withstand the force of the rushing wind, so you must struggle to withstand the force of the storms and stress in your life. Indeed, your personal turmoil is a microcosm of the condition of the world today. Like you, our world is being torn apart by the howling storms of wars, terrorism, strife and dissension, as well as natural disasters. You long for peace, but you can find no peace. Peace is to the troubled mind as rest is to the weary body. Peace renews and rejuvenates the mind, and clears away the cobwebs of delusion and confusion.

There is a parable that gives a graphic and true picture of peace, the kind of peace that only Jesus can give. The story is about a king, who felt a compelling need for more enlightenment about the concept of peace. The “wise men” and nobles in his kingdom were unable to give the king a true understanding of peace, because no one in their "circle” had ever experienced it before. Finally, as a last resort, the king commissioned the artists in the kingdom to paint a picture representing peace. One by one they presented their paintings before the king, and one by one the king rejected their paintings. He complained that the artists’ representation of peace was as shallow and meaningless as the “wise men” and nobles' explanation of peace. Then the greatest painter in the kingdom presented his painting, brimming with confidence that he had the perfect picture of peace. It was truly a masterpiece, a most exquisite painting of a peaceful, pastoral scene. The artist painted a gentle stream flowing through a lush, green meadow. Beside the stream could be seen sheep grazing peacefully. Below the slope of the meadow were numerous houses of a little village; smoke could be seen curling up from the chimneys of some of the homes. Above the lush green meadow, the artist painted a blue sky dotted with bright, white clouds. The king was impressed with the remarkable skill of the painter. However, a dark gloomy expression came to his face as he gazed at the painting. With his vivid imaginagion, he could see the white clouds becoming dark and ominous looking, unleashing torrential rain, and turning the stream into a mighty river, flooding the meadow and the little village. Such a peaceful scene could change at anytime with the weather, he thought. Therefore, he concluded that this painting was just as meaningless as all the rest. The king sighed ruefully, and said “It seems that no one in my entire kingdom can give me an adequate explanation or representation of peace.” Just then an old man stepped forward. The king was struck by the serene expression on his face and the humility in his demeanor as he presented his painting. The first sight of the painting brought a gasp of astonishment from the king, but then his surprise gradually gave way to sublime satisfaction as he pensively considered the artist's rendition of the picture of peace. The most violent storm was represented in the painting. Gigantic waves could be seen lashing against the seashore, trees were bending under the mighty force of the wind, a heavy sheet of pouring rain was descending with unabated fury, drenching the landscape leading from the seashore. Every thing was at the mercy of the storm except an extremely large rock. Situated on a hill could be seen the massive rock, looming higher than the tallest tree. In the cleft of the rock, deep within its covert, the artist painted a little bird, sleeping peacefully, safe and secured from the stormy blast. The king exulted, “This is a true picture of peace. Peace in the storm.” Turning to the other painters he said, “All of you painted the calm before the storm, but this man has painted the calm inside the storm." The king at last found the meaning of peace; the only true peace is peace with lasting security.

My friend, if you have Jesus as your ark of salvation, and as your shelter in the time of storm, you can say with confidence, "When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61). In this world you will need to always abide in the Rock of Ages; you will need a hiding place. The Bible says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principilaties, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places... "(Ephesians 6:12). You are waging spiritual warfare, and you can only be victorious if you abide in Jesus. Therefore, when the enemy comes in like a flood, find refuge in the cleft of the Rock, and rest assured in His promise, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is offering you real peace... lasting peace. His tender love for you, coupled with His awesome power, is your blessed assurance of eternal security and everlasting peace... perfect peace.

Let us pray: Father, only you can give peace, because only you can give us eternal security. Lord Jesus as our shelter in the storm, you will rebuke the wind and the waves on the sea of life, simply by saying, “Peace…peace be still.” Yes, the wind and the waves must obey your will, because you said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18) As we nestle tonight under warm blankets to shield our bodies from the cold, lead us, O God, to nestle our souls in the cleft of the rock. Jesus is our living rock. There we will find shelter from the storm, and there we will find peace. O God, let us be always mindful that when we rest in the hollow of your mighty hand, we rest in perfect peace. Grant us peace now, dear Father, in Jesus name. Amen

The gospel is the good news of peace to the world. The next topic is about the meaning of the gospel. It is entitled, "The Good News." Indeed, the gospel is the only real good news the world has ever heard.

The Good News

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

The angels announced to the shepherds, “Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people” (Luke 2::10). The good tidings of great joy is the gospel. It is the good news of God’s divine love, providing the gift of everlasting life to a lost and dying world. However, it takes faith to bring to fruition the quintessential hope of everlasting life for mankind. The first part of the good news, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son” refers to God’s grace. God’s amazing grace was embodied in his perfect gift to the world, Jesus, his only begotten Son. God so loved the world that he was moved to restore our greatest loss, eternal life, by giving to us, the greatest gift, Himself, God in the flesh. When Jesus came, heaven came down to kiss the earth with healing love.

God’s grace gave Jesus to the world, but it takes belief, or faith to receive Jesus in your heart to possess eternal life. The Bible states, “For by grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). God’s grace gave the gift of life, but you must choose through faith to receive the gift of life. Grace is about giving and faith is about receiving. Therefore, the second part of the good news, “that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” refers to your faith in Jesus, as your essential response in order to bring to fruition your quintessential hope to obtain eternal life. The rejection of Jesus through unbelief will cause you to perish as the rejection of God’s word through unbelief caused the fall of mankind. Adam and Eve chose not to believe God, who told them that they would surely die if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead, they chose to believe the lie of Satan: “Thou shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). Their sin of unbelief opened the door to the sin of disobedience. However, to believe in Jesus, God’s Word, who was "made flesh and dwelled among us," opens the door for all to the righteousness, found only in the perfect obedience of Christ. The Bbile says that without faith no one can please God. Therefore, no one can be righteous without faith in God. Even as “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:3), so our belief in Jesus as our

Savior from sin accounts for our righteousness. Stand in faith and stand in righteousness.

God’s hand of grace is now reaching for your hand of faith. If your faith can make the connection with grace then you shall not perish, but you shall have everlasting life. Jesus, the bread of life, is saying to you now, “I am the living bread...if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. Jesus, dying on the cross for the sins of the world, also represents the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, transplanted in our dimension of time and space on Calvary’s Hill. However, it is only by faith that you can eat from the tree of life. Choose now. Choose before tomorrow becomes eternity. Choose to believe in Jesus, then you can feast on the bread of life, and drink from the fountain of life. Open your heart to Jesus to receive the precious gift of everlasting life.

Let us pray: Father, we thank you for sending Jesus, your only begotten Son, to pay the penalty for our sins by dying for us on the cross. We can see in Jesus the embodiment of your amazing grace, and so we praise your holy name. Amen.

Possessing faith in Jesus as Savior from sin is the only means of salvation for fallen humanity. Where there is faith there is no fear. Faith dispels fear like light dispels darkness. Now continue to the next topic entitled, "Overcoming Fear."

Overcoming Fear

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Tim 4:7)


My four year old grandson’s face was a contorted mass of fear as he sat stiffly at the kitchen counter, waiting to have his breakfast. His body was rigid, shoulders hunched, and the tell tale painful lines of fear were deeply etched on his countenance. Reaching over the counter to hug him with a good morning greeting, I clasped his little hand; it was moist with sweat. The pain of his repressed fear was palpable as I hugged him. I knew exactly what was on his mind: the horrendous thought of going to school. No doubt the negative spirit of fear had magnified some of his bad experiences at school to nightmarish proportions. Perhaps, like my grandson, you have experienced in your life the mentally crippling effects of fear. The Bible says, “Fear hath torment.” (I John 4:18)

The Bible states plainly that God does not give us the spirit of fear. Then we must ask the question: What is the cause of fear? I believe the answer can be found in Gen. 3:10 which describes the beginning of fear in mankind. In response to God’s call, Adam says, “I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” It is important to note that Adam and Eve had never been aware of their physical nakedness before the fall; consequently, they had never experienced fear. However, after the fall, when their broken relationship with God resulted in spiritual nakedness, they became aware of their physical nakedness, and then the spirit of fear entered the mind of man for the first time. Therefore, the cause of fear was not their physical nakedness, but their spiritual nakedness in a hostile universe, replete with spiritual wickedness in high places. God was no longer their spiritual covering, and now they saw themselves to be spiritually separate and apart from God. The shocking awakening to their spiritual nakedness, resulting in weakness, vulnerability and mortality, filled them with fear. Without the spiritual covering of God they now had to cope with the fear of the unknown, because the terrible specter of sin and death “crouched at the door.” We can say, therefore, that fear is caused by the separation between man and God, when mankind turned away from God to serve the creature (self serving) instead of the creator.

Now that we have identified the cause of fear, we are led to consider another question: Is there a cure for fear? The answer is a resounding yes! Because the cause of fear is spiritual, the cure for fear must also be spiritual. The rejection of God by mankind caused the spirit of fear to infiltrate our minds, but the grace of God can eradicate the spirit of fear from our minds. Consider how God’s grace has provided the means for a cure in this scripture: God does not give us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” The cure, therefore, is to be connected to His power, His love and His mind. The Bible says, “Perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18). In other words, the cure involves the “God connection.” Find the means of connection to God and you will find the cure for fear. There is only one way to connect to God. The bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb.11:6). Faith is the connection to God and faith is the cure for fear. Time and time again Jesus would rebuke his disciples when they were afraid by saying to them, “Oh ye of little faith.” The only way to negate fear, the most negative force in our lives, is to turn to faith in God, the most positive force. Yes, it is an indisputable fact: “All things are possible, if you believe.” With God, nothing is impossible.

It was so heart wrenching to watch how my little grandson that morning was being tortured by the spirit of fear. Then this most reassuring thought entered my mind: If he is old enough to have fear, then he is old enough to have faith. I was glad that faith does not coexist with fear. Faith dispels fear like light dispels darkness. With this thought in mind I asked, "How are you feeling Kai?"
He answered in a tremulous voice “I don’t feel good, Papa. I don’t want to go.”
After breakfast my wife and I prayed over him. He was still looking anxious and fearful.
“Kai,” I said, “Do you know who will be waiting for you at the door of your class this morning?”
“Who Papa?” he asked.
“Jesus,” I said. “He's always with you. If you are afraid, sad, or lonely, just talk to Jesus. He's always there to help you. Jesus loves you, Kai."

He gave a perfunctory nod as he took off to school. Whether there was a spark of faith at that moment in his heart, I did not know. But I knew Jesus would be there waiting for him, ready to ignite God's grace to the smallest spark of faith. And Jesus is there beside you, waiting on you also, my friend. Reach out in faith to touch Him, and all your fears will simply melt away. Your faith in God's grace can make you whole in mind, body and soul. Healing faith can cure the pain and anguish of fear, and its piercing light can dispel every shadow of fear. Through faith in God, conquer your fears to live the abundant life. I hope you will be able to say some day, as you look back on your life that, indeed, you had nothing to fear except fear itself, nothing to fear except your lack of faith. Let faith restore what fear has destroyed.

Let us pray: Father, we thank you for your promise never to leave us, nor forsake us. O Lord, your Word tells us that heaven and earth will pass away, but your Word will never pass away. You are forever true and faithful to keep all your promises, because you have all power, and you have a love for us that is forever and ever. Heavenly Father, forgive our fearful hearts, help our unbelief, so that we might truly believe, and by our faith in you, conquor all our fears. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

A life of selfishness, focusing on self instead of faith in God, is a breeding ground for fears. Therefore, the life of a true believer is selfless, and has the indelible mark of the love of God, which permeates his thoughts, words and actions. To be selfless, you must be willing to deny your self and give your self to God as well as to others. The next topic is entitled, "Losing to Gain."

Losing to Gain

“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Mt. 10:39).

Finding a happy life can be a self consuming quest and an illusive dream. The excessive preoccupation with the pursuit of happiness will culminate in a broken and shattered life. Because of the perverted thinking of a fallen world, many people believe that the fulfillment of desires is the means to achieve happiness. However, the lust of the eye, the desire of the flesh, the pride of life and the selfish life long building of a comfort zone will never bring lasting happiness. Such happiness quickly dissipates as the morning fog disappears with the appearance of sun light. When you feed the “flesh” with lustful desires, you consume the essence of the “self,” which is the inner being, your soul. The obsessive pursuit of a happy life will, therefore, cause you to lose your soul, the connection to your life source, God. The Wisdom of God, Christ Jesus, succinctly declares this profound truth: “He that findeth his life shall lose it.” Holding on to a happy life is like holding water with your hand; it will slip away through your fingers.

However, Jesus gives us the contrast to the selfish life: “He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” When you lose your selfish desires, and freely give yourself to others, then and only then you will find the essence of life. God is the essence of life, and a relationship with God leads to happiness. In order to lose your selfish desires and find the true essence of life, you must first understand the purpose for life. The purpose for life is not the pursuit of happiness, but it is to please God. The Bible in Rev. 4:11 reveals …”for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” It is clear, my friends; you were created, not to please yourself, not to pursue happiness, but to please God. Pleasing God is the most unselfish thing you can do in life; it takes self denial, becoming a living sacrifice for God. Pleasing God entails loving God with all your mind, all your heart, and all your strength, and also, loving your neighbors, even your enemies as your self. Yes, lose your selfish life to gain the abundant life; lose self worth, self dependence, selfcenteredness, and all selfishness in order to gain the everlasting pleasure of your creator. Always remember this truism: It is not foolish to lose what you cannot keep in order to gain what you cannot lose. Wisdom is losing the temporal to gain the eternal. Jesus in Luke 12:33 declares, "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth." Losing your life of selfish desires and pleasures is no great loss. Such a life will soon turn to ashes, and become only dust in the wind. Always be mindful that you can only find happiness when you fulfill your purpose for which you were created. Your purpose in life is pleasing God. When you please God, goodness and mercy, the prerequisite of happiness, will follow you all the days of your life.