“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39 NKJV).
One of the writers in a devotional book we’ve been reading quoted Alexander Maclaren: “Peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of God.” I’ve realized how, since things in my life settled down a bit, that I’ve been relying more on my calm situation for peace than on God. This means that even small inconveniences provoke me. Recently, my patience with medical staff has grown thin even though I used to pride myself on being extra patient with people after having worked in an office myself and knowing mistakes are normal. Earlier this week, a series of small errors on their part sent me spiraling into a terrible mood.
The next day the thought struck me, “Why didn’t I go to God immediately when I was upset?” Well… it was over something little. Small. Almost insignificant, not worthy of taking to the God of the universe… Or… was it because I thought I could simply handle it myself? Either way, a word from a friend made me realize I was not as peaceful as I thought I was. I remember musing out loud about how I didn’t know why my attitude was exceptionally bad! And sometimes, we just don’t know. It could be a combination of things or it could simply have no explanation at all.
I’m going to disagree slightly with Alexander Maclaren. Jesus was in the boat that was being tossed tremendously by the waves and wind. He is God, and He was on the boat, but that did nothing to stem the stormy sea. It is not enough for God to be present; He doesn’t just take over our lives. We must ask Him to actively help us. We must feel our need and call upon Him to quiet the storm whether on the outside or inside of us. And He will. Jesus rebuked the tempest and created peace. Maclaren was right in that we can experience unfortunate life situations raging around us while at the same time having the peace of heaven within us, if only we ask Jesus to man our helm.
After I realized my bad attitude was out of control, I finally came to God. I wish I had come to Him sooner, but it is never too late to turn to Him. The very next day, when I left work and had to sit in a traffic jam for 15-20 minutes while chastising myself for not using the bathroom before I left, I marveled at my inner peace. This day was actually going just as bad, if not worse, than earlier but my attitude rose above the situation. Instead of asking Jesus to just be present with me, I petitioned Him to actively change my heart. And He did. And He can do the same for you!