Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you feel at peace today? I'm sure if you said yes, you could probably rattle off what the circumstances are as to why you feel at peace. Maybe you took a vacation day, or something else, and you’re thinking, oh, yes, I feel at peace today. This is great. If some of you said no, you too could have rattled off circumstances as to why. Maybe it's stressful situations that you're going to be experiencing today, or the burden of upcoming bills, or other things that make you not feel at peace. Maybe it's relationships. This is a perfect place to find ourselves—looking at peace and our circumstances with our Verse of the Day today.
It's Colossians chapter 3, verse 15. It says, "And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."
The Reality of Peace
What a powerful verse, especially considering how we live our day-to-day lives, dealing with real world stuff, and how peace can actually fit into it. It's one thing to talk about living in peace. It's another thing to think about this amidst great difficulty. I'd love to talk about today what it looks like to have the peace of Christ.
Jesus Sleeping in the Storm
A great passage for that is found in Mark chapter 4, starting in verse 35. And this is what it says: "As evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, 'Let's cross to the other side of the lake.' So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind, although other boats followed. But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with His head on a cushion. The disciples woke Him up, shouting, 'Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?' When Jesus woke up, He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Silence! Be still!' Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then He asked them, 'Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?'"
Now, when we talk about having the peace of Christ ruling in your heart, remember this is the same peace that gives Jesus the ability to stay sound asleep with His head on a cushion at the back of the boat in the midst of a storm, as the boat is filling up with water. When we look at the circumstances of this situation, we think, how in the world could You not be concerned? How can You not be afraid of what's going on? Don't You see we are potentially going to sink?
I'm sure some of you who are not feeling peace in your life are starting to feel your boat fill up and you're saying, Lord, what in the world? I am going to drown in this.
Trusting Him in the Storm
Now, let’s look at specifically Jesus as to why He wouldn't be concerned about the boat filling up with water. Mind you, this is the same Person that walked on water. We could say, well, great for Him. He can walk on water. But do we understand that Jesus, just like Peter walking on the water, wants us to just trust Him that we can actually rest no matter what's going on?
I want to share this with you—it's very personal. Just a couple days ago, I was at home getting ready for the day, and I had a lot of burdens on my mind, just concerns and cares, and I was talking to God about it. I was saying, Lord, what? What gives? What's going on? It was just such a precious moment where God just rebuked me in a very loving way. He said, David, do you think you really care more about this than I do?
Oh, wow. That was such a huge, powerful moment. It was incredibly encouraging that God was saying He cares about this even more than I do.
Let His Peace Rule
Whatever you're experiencing that's not causing you peace, I would encourage you, as this verse says, let the peace of Christ rule in your life. The difficulty with that is when we allow our circumstances in our life to rule the day. That's why we can typically say, yes, I'm at peace because of the circumstances, or no, I'm not at peace because of these sets of circumstances. Jesus wants to come along and say, let My peace rule in your heart, because it doesn't have to be contingent on the circumstances. I want to give you peace in the midst of the storm, even when the boat's filling up.
I want you to know that He cares about what you're going through even more than you do, and He loves you dearly. That's why when we talk about the unity of the body because of peace and always be thankful, it's looking at what God's already done, to see His hand all throughout the way, to be able to trust in whatever circumstance you're in, to have His peace and allow His peace to rule in your heart today.
