Do you need a moment of calm? Why not grab a brew, and settle down to read this devotion by our CEO Nick Klein that links in with the International Day of Peace.
Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Calms the Storm:
‘That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”’
Thursday 21st September 2023 is the International Day of Peace, and it seems to me that this world needs peace on so many levels. We all hope for an end to the many wars around the world, so much conflict that causes irreparable damage to so many people in so many different ways. But also for peace in our nation amidst rising costs of living, strike action, disruption to education and recovery from COVID.
And then closer to home, peace in our communities, social issues, lack of hopes for jobs, peace in our streets, our neighbourhoods. Peace in our families, where there might be difficult relationships, stress of life, of school and work. And finally, peace in ourselves, the constant battle of a busy and demanding lifestyle pulling us away from the things we should do, the things we would like to do, and pulling us in to the things that we feel we have to do.
Many times, in many of our lives we find ourselves without peace.
This passage from Mark depicts to us a very stressful scene, one of near death for the disciples, so can it tell us anything about our lives today? Well first, it is interesting to see that Jesus is in the boat. Know that if you invite Him in, Jesus is in your situation today. Second, Jesus wasn’t ‘terrified’. He knew that He was in control. Thirdly, He did what you would expect God to do, and took command of the problem and sorted it. Know that He can do that for you too (although it probably wasn’t what the disciples were expecting!) And finally, He asked the disciples to trust Him. He is still asking that of His disciples today.
So, as we think of International Peace, pray that Jesus would be invited in by people to bring resolution and peace to difficult situations, whether in the world, in our nation, or in our streets. And why not take a moment in your busy lives to ask Him to speak, “Quiet and be still” over your stressful situations.
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