Peace in the Middle of the Storm
by Anita Worthen
While stuck in heavy traffic and attempting to arrive at an appointment on time, I was calming myself through prayer. As I was thanking God for how He has always been my peace through the middle of the stormy times of life….suddenly it hit me that the frustration of my frantic daily schedule could certainly be labeled a storm the same way times of great trauma are. That’s when God reminded me that He is our peace in the middle of any storm (even my daily frustrations) and that, not seeing these as God-worthy storms, I missed bringing His peace into my everyday life. I realized I had become selective as to what difficulties I handed over to God. I was treating God’s peace like money in the bank, not wanting to use it up on the small stuff. But this is not God’s way, it’s just the opposite. As we see God’s faithfulness in the small things we are better able to trust Him with those major traumas we all go through from time to time. It is human nature for man to want to fix situations in his life; this can help us understand why Christians might want to fix the small things, while still bringing the large problems to God. But this can seriously hurt us from accomplishing God’s plan in our life!
How can finding our own solutions on the small things hurt God’s bigger plan? As we already said, taking everything to God helps us trust Him more with the big things. Also when God says He will give us peace “in the middle” of the storm He means just that; if we find a way to escape from God’s perfect plan for us we could easily miss something He wanted to do within or through us during the storm. Some have made life changing choices in times of stress that completely changed the direction of their life and only later realized they had missed God’s perfect plan for them. They found temporary peace but at a high price.
What are some of the signs that we are looking for our own way out of the storm? Just as all of us have different types of storms because our lives are so different, so our way of escape is different also. For the lonely, their way of escape may be through an unhealthy romance. My escape route is to run from people and responsibilities. For all of us, looking for a way out always starts in the mind and that is where we can have the most effective battle! The scriptures talk about bringing every thought captive. We can have victory before it becomes action. If I find myself dreaming about living on a desert island taking care of animals, this may mean I need a vacation or that I’m not living in the peace God has planned for me on a daily basis.
Having a time with the Lord everyday. Often if there are no major crises or life is really busy we skimp or even totally skip our time with God. Sitting with God and bringing all your frustrations to Him is so important, and the best way to find the peace we so desperately need. This can be like a mini-vacation, a time-out for refreshment in our busy schedules. With God I can face the truth; there would be no peace for me on that desert island unless it was God’s plan for me to be there! But carrying that peace through the rest of the day is the real test for me. It is gradually getting easier, however, to come back to that place of peace now and then during the day.
“The one thing I want from God, the thing I seek most of all, is the privilege of meditating in His Temple, living in His presence every day of my life, delighting in His incomparable perfection and glory” (Psalm 27:4). I encourage you to read the whole psalm; having His Word in my heart makes it so much easier to remember that He is our peace. We can return to this truth many times during our daily trials, and one day we’ll abide there forever. Come Lord Jesus!