Peace In The Storm

If you look closely at this picture you can see a bird nestled with her young behind the waterfall sitting in peace.

Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

Peace is not the absence of conflict or merely calm circumstances, while it could include that, peace is actually the presence of God in the of those circumstances. Biblical peace is not something we create on our own, it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It’s shalom, wholeness, calmness, and completeness with Jesus the prince of peace. It is Jesus’s nearness that calms and gives us peace in the middle of the raging storm.

In a world of chaos, violence, sadness, and instability, along with ungodly governments, how do we know if we have that peace?

When covid happened everyone was panicking and flooding to buy toilet paper. And the government was shutting everything down, I was at peace because I had the peace of God in my heart. And I knew God would provide for my family. Yes, I came down with covid, but I was at peace God would take care of me.

I prayed daily for my family’s health, put it in God’s hands, and let it at that.

While I’m sure peace looks a bit different for each of us, here are a few of the indicators of God’s peace (or lack thereof) for me.

• My ability to rest.

Rest and relaxation are often an indicator of God’s peace for me. On the flip side, a lack of peace affects my rest and makes me anxious, if I’m unsure about something God prompts me to change course. I can’t rest or feel tense so much so I feel it in my neck and shoulders. Peace and sleep seem to be connected.

• My attitude.

If I am at peace with a major issue in my life my attitude usually shows it. However, a lack of peace offer affects my attitude in a negative way, irritability, and impatience are usually presence. I tend to get a little ornery. Without God’s presence and peace my small problems often become big problems and my attitude takes a turn for the worse.

• A settled feeling.

Another indicator is that I ‘feel’ at peace. I feel like I can trust the outcome, no matter the results. However, for me a lack of peace is often accompanied by an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I am not able to let the issue go. I am consumed with the decision, or continue to be overwhelmed by unknowns or stresses. It feels like the Holy Spirit continues to prompt me with an unsettled feeling until I change courses or fully surrender the issue over to God and pray about it.

• Joy.

Simply put, joy is an indicator of peace. Peace comes when we choose to trust God’s goodness rather than in a specific outcome we want. When I know I can be joyful no matter the outcome, then I know that’s peace.

There are many more indicators that could be shared but those are a few of the major ones for me.

Like a bird covering its nest in the raging storm, God offers His peace to us.

No matter the decisions or circumstances you face I pray you will find peace to accompany you every step of the way.