Storm

Possessing a resilient peace

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me to dwell in safety.”

Psalm 4:8

“There is a peace even in the storm.”

Vincent Van Gogh

If I were to ask you to paint a picture of peace, what would you brush onto the canvas? Perhaps you would paint a quiet brook with rippling water running through a lush green meadow? Perhaps your canvas would show billowing white clouds against a bright, sunny blue sky? Maybe we would witness you painting a serene lake, surrounded by trees, mountains in the background? 

American artist Jack E. Dawson pondered how he would paint peace. After considerable reflection, he painted Peace in the Midst of a Storm. The painting depicted a rocky mountain cliff with a thundering waterfall cascading over the top. Dark clouds, lightning, rain, and wind battered the cliff. In a small cleft of the rock edifice, a white dove rested in calm and quiet. Dawson wanted to convey that peace is not the absence of the storm but a quiet resolve anchored in God’s sovereignty. The dove in Dawson’s painting was unfazed by the storm and the thunderous waterfall.

A wise mentor of mine once taught me that a boat in the water will not sink unless water enters it. Similarly, a disciple of Jesus will not succumb to trouble unless they allow fear and worry to enter their soul.

Disciples of Jesus are given a promise from him: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Jesus’ peace is not temporary or dependent on our circumstances; rather, it is permanent, supernatural, and based on a relationship with the Lord. Jesus’ gift of the Holy Spirit dwells in us permanently to comfort, guide, and encourage us all day, every day, in any and all trouble. Jesus’ peace is described by the Apostle Paul as one that “transcends all understanding,” identified as the “peace of God” (Philippians 4:7). Here is a peace that “guards our hearts” (Philippians 4:7). It guards our hearts against fear, worry, and anxiety.

Jesus’ peace is one backed up by his very power and authority. Take note of this gospel story:

“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”    Mark 4:35-41

Jesus’ peace is so powerful and enduring because he himself is sovereign and eternal. Jesus is omnipotent in the face of all storms – natural, relational, financial, spiritual, mental and emotional. Jesus is not only sovereign over everything that is or will happen in our lives, but he also seeks our best interests in all things, even if we may not see it in our current circumstances.

I volunteered with a community police organization called Victim Services. Our work was to support victims of crime. I served in this role for about ten years. When I first started, the director was very suspicious of me because I was a Christian, as she had had some bad experiences with previous Christian workers. That changed over the years I served, as she witnessed me work with other volunteers and victims of crime. At the end of my tenure with the organization, she called me aside and told me, “I wish I could ‘photocopy’ you. When you come to the office, you bring with you a peace that I have not experienced anywhere else.” The peace I brought to the office was Jesus’ peace, the peace he promised to those who would follow, trust and worship him, even in the storm.

I would be far from the truth if I claimed that no storm ever entered my soul. I have experienced days, and even seasons, when anxiety and worry ruled and peace was missing. Faith that God’s sovereignty would prevail, coupled with a deep conviction that all things have his purpose for my good, and the help of the Holy Spirit, slowly drew me back to experiencing God’s peace once again. The storms in my life are common, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, I don’t let them enter my heart. I want to be a non-anxious presence in the storm, a testimony to the goodness and peace of God.

“Those who plumb the deep things of God discover true peace.”

Calvin Miller

Rev. Philip A. Gunther