By Doug Creamer
Be Still Peace
I headed out for my Sunday afternoon walk. It was the first day of daylight saving time and it was nice to be out in the early evening. It was a cloudy evening and there were actually a few sprinkles at one point in my walk. My legs were complaining about the walk and my mind was in agreement with the weather – mostly cloudy.
I started looking around at the flowers and blooming trees and enjoying their beauty. I thanked the Lord for family, friends, and for my church. I closed my eyes and allowed the slight breeze to caress my face. Other than a few birds singing, I noticed the peacefulness and quietness in my neighborhood.
My mind has not been a peaceful place the last few months. I have been consumed by things demanding my attention. In that moment, while I was walking, my mind was peaceful. The breeze blew again and it felt like it cleared the dust and cobwebs out of my mind. There was nothing demanding my attention, just the peacefulness of the day. In the quiet, I sensed His presence.
I waited on Him. In my spirit I felt a washing of all my worries. There was a deep sense of peace. In the quiet, in the peacefulness, there was a whisper… “I love you.” I let the words wash over me. Again, another whisper, “I am the God who made the sun, moon, and stars and I made you. I love you.” I wanted to keep walking because I felt His presence, acceptance, and His love.
The walk ended and the evening unfolded like any other Sunday evening. I slipped out to the front porch late before bed. His peace and presence were waiting for me. I prayed and talked with Him about a few things. I really didn’t want to go in but it was time for bed.
I have recently walked through a very stormy period. The storms raged both spiritually and mentally. I was struggling to find my next step. The more I struggled the stormier it got. My plate was way too full. If I got one thing off my plate, three more were added. Where was His presence? Where was His peace?
The storm has finally passed. The sun is shining. I dared to ask the Lord, “Where were you when I was going through that storm?” In His grace He showed me a picture of myself drenched in the pouring rain. There He was standing right beside me. I hadn’t seen Him or felt His presence, but He was there none the less. He let me see into my soul as I stood there in the rain. There it was deep in my soul, the faith that I knew He was with me even though I couldn’t sense His presence.
That was one of the lessons I needed to learn, that He is with me THROUGH the storms. He told me that my faith grows stronger and deeper in the midst of storms. Faith doesn’t grow when we are walking in His perfect peace. Faith grows as we face doubts, challenges, difficulties, worries, anxieties, fears, and the everyday ups and downs of life. Faith grows when we are overwhelmed by life and have to trust in Him to see us THROUGH.
While we prefer to walk with Him in the sunshine and rainbows, He prefers to see our faith and trust grow THROUGH the storms of life. God has us in our church families so we can be there for each other. He knows we need to lean on each other to get through the many challenges that we will all face. In the midst of those times we can watch our faith and trust in Him grow. He will provide places to rest and be refreshed along the way. Ultimately, He wants us to find His peace and presence as we go THROUGH the storms of life.
I want to encourage you whether you find yourself in a storm or a place of peace and rest to put your faith and trust in God. Remember when Jesus was with the disciples in the boat when they experienced a violent storm. What happened? He stood up and said, “Peace, Be Still.” The wind and the waves obeyed Him. The important point is that He was with them THROUGH the storm. He will be with you and me as we navigate our way through our storms. He is growing our faith and trust and He will not let us down. He will see us THROUGH!
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
