Peace Comes From Trust

So many times we expect that once we accepted Christ as our savior, life will get easy. We have this unrealistic expectation that walking with Christ will be an easy and smooth path. That our trials and tribulations died on the cross with Him. This is not the Promise. In fact – the Bible warns many times of quite the opposite.

Being a Christian is hard. It takes constant work and effort. And there has only ever been One that was perfect at living Christ-like. Having that expectation on ourselves is unrealistic and sometimes actually impairs our walk. God doesn’t expect perfection and God never promised the absence of difficulties, pain, or tragedy. What He does expect is a relationship founded in trust. What He does promise is that there is no reason to fear or be discouraged – because He is with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9). He tells us not to worry about anything, but instead pray and petition God, giving thanks for His blessings (Philippians 4:6).

The popular phrase is “Let go and Let God”. And while the intention behind this is pure and on target, the desire to make a phrase worthy of t-shirts has omitted a very important part; the relationship with God is where we find true peace. Maybe the phrase should be, Dig in [to the Word], Let go [of worry], and Let God [fulfill His promise]. But that doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker.

During my devotional reading this morning, two out of the three that I read spoke of the story of Jesus and the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee and encountering a big storm, you remember, the one Jesus napped through? When two of my devotionals – from different sources, purchased at different times from different places, hit on the same topic – its clear to me that God has a message for me in that text/verse. But when they reference the same exact story of the Bible – to me that is the equivalent of Jesus saying “Truly I say to you…”. Which should make everyone’s ears perk up like your college professor banging on a podium during a lecture (that part will be on the test!).

Today, a day after writing (again) about my anxiety, God gives me this story – twice. I was immediately hit with the thought of Jesus peacefully sleeping during the storm. And when the disciples woke him, I imagine that he was sort of indignant that they weren’t also peaceful in this situation. And it hit me… God gives us the opportunity to have peace in every situation. Our circumstances should not determine our level of peace. Jesus teaches us that peace is possible, no matter the storm. Often times, my level of peace reveals my level of trust in God. There is like a Trust / Peace continuum. Having peace does not mean that everything is going perfectly in our life. But trusting the One who is perfect and who is truly in control – can bring us great peace.

My peace is within my control, based on my willingness to trust my Creator.
It’s not easy – but it is that simple.