PEACE

There had been a heavy rainfall. The peaceful stream that flows along the tree line had turned into a powerful flow of rushing water, washing away the tranquility of my secret hideaway. I come here often, sometimes as much as five or six times a week. The solitude in the woods helps calm my anxious mind, and I've found that I'm able to hear God clearly. Not because there's something magical about this particular location. I've just learned over the years that His voice is a lot easier to hear when there are no sounds and no distractions.

But on this day, as I sat there on the cold wooden bench, I found myself completely distracted by the sound of the water. Normally the stream's gentle flow is calming but when it rains, it turns into a loud and obnoxious force of nature. I tried several times to settle my mind down with no luck. I simply could not get the sound out of my head. I became restless so I stood up and started to worship God in song and praise. Normally, that's a cure all to most of my issues, but on this day, even that didn't help. I was so fixated on the water that it was literally echoing in my head.

I sat back down and decided to voice my displeasure to God. "God, it's been a long day. Between work and this Covid-19 thing, I'm stressed and you know I came here for peace. The water is annoying me and all I want is to sit in silence so I can calm my mind and the tension in my chest. Can you please fix that water problem?" Immediately God spoke:

"Why do you think silence will give you peace? Peace comes from me. And right now, you are focused on the sound of the water and you're allowing it to disrupt our time together. Ignore the water. It's just a distraction. Focus on me."

I shut my eyes and began to take a few deep breaths. As I fixed my mind on Jesus, His goodness, and how He has changed my life, a wonderful and calming presence fell upon me. It wasn't long before I could no longer hear the water, nor anything else for that matter. It was as if the stream had completely dried up. I don't know how long I was in this peaceful state but when I opened my eyes, my entire body felt renewed. The tension in my chest and the chaotic thoughts that had been circling in my mind had completely vanished. Even the sunlight had made its way through the trees providing warmth to my face. I looked down the hill toward the water and sure enough, it was still there and still flowing as fast as ever. But it was as if I couldn't hear it at all. So what had changed?

I believe God was revealing an important truth to me in that moment. I had come to the woods expecting the perfect situation to present itself in order for me to "find peace". But having everything "perfect" may not always be feasible. The stream, similar to our lives, is always moving and it doesn't often flow at the same pace or with the same sound. Sometimes days are calm and uneventful and at other times, there is a lot of sound and chaos going on. And it's in these moments that it can often be hard to find the peace we are looking for. But instead of requiring our circumstances to change for us to have peace, let us have faith that true peace comes from God and He's in every situation. And just like He gently spoke to me in the woods that day, all we need to do is focus on Jesus....and simply "ignore the water".

So on this Easter Sunday, let us focus on Jesus and trust that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do. And if that is true, then we can have confidence that the peace Jesus offers us is available whenever we need it.

John 14:27

"Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

† let the light in †