PEACE, BE STILL! JESUS IN THE BOAT

IN THE DAYS OF HIS POWER SERIES.

TOPIC: PEACE, BE STILL! Jesus is in the boat

COMPILED/EDITED BY-:
Rev. Innocent Chukwudi Peace-Udochukwu
President Living Fountain Ministries Int’l LIFOM

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, PEACE, BE STILL!.”
Mark 4:39

Peace is the undisturbed state of mind that we need for the Word of God to take over and bring mighty results. Peace is an absence of mental conflict.

To be calm is to have harmony within, quietness, tranquility, freedom from petty disagreements and quarrels. When you allow Jesus to speak those words of peace and calm to you, you are in harmony with Him and the peace of God, in one mind and one accord with Jesus.

The storms of life can be just as ferocious for you in this final hour as they were for the disciples. Like the disciples, you need help. Make sure Jesus is on board your ship; make sure you really believe in Him and what He has said. Every word He speaks contains all might, all strength, all courage, all power to defeat whatever adversity that may come against you daily.

Great conflicts in the mind can rage as the devil battles against what God has promised, what He has said He would do; but Jesus said, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). When you seek, ask and knock for faith in His words, “Peace, be still,” He is always there to help you.

“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him”
(Mark 4:37-41)

What manner of man is this? At that time there had been no Crucifixion, no Resurrection, no concrete victory over sin. Seeing Jesus in action only at times, the disciples were unaware of being bound by a lack of faith. When Jesus calmed the storm with such a great display of His mighty power, they were shocked. It seemed unreal. In their wildest dreams they had never imagined what they were
about to see. In fact, Jesus was so calm in the face of disaster that they asked, Master, carest thou not that we perish? This should teach you something. Just because the Lord is quiet, just because He does not always make Himself known, it does not mean He is not on board your ship or that He does not care. He is there, and He does care. He is ready to help you do that which you cannot do for yourself—but He waits for your call.

The Greek word “peace” that Jesus uses is an imperative (command) noun, siope, meaning the sea must be silent and mute. Jesus takes away its ability to “speak” and rage. Some theologians comment that the sea wanted to resist but couldn’t. Jesus overcame it and conquered it without its cooperation.

Jesus also said, “Be still.” The Greek word is pefimoso meaning to muzzle, silence, and cause to be speechless. Again, we get the sense that the storm and raging water would love to resist Jesus’ command, and yet it is powerless to fight against His power and authority. In Greek maritime usage, the sea swallows up ships, so here it is used as an order to the sea to shut her mouth in order not to swallow the ship. The ship was already taking on water and the disciples thought they would be “eaten” by the sea.

Peace is something we experience in our own hearts, not something dependent on our circumstances or achieved by others’ actions or inactions toward us. And stillness is a divine gift that we can experience if we would only embrace it. Yet, it’s so difficult to just be still today, isn’t it?

“In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength”
Isaiah 30:15

People who devote time to be alone with the Lord find a renewed reservoir of personal strength and quiet confidence.

The world desperately needs people who are trying out Jesus’ way of life and have an ever-deepening experience of Him. They are looking for peace and joy that lasts, and those qualities only show up in the lives of believers who allow Jesus to reign in their hearts.

Spend some peaceful moments alone with the Lord today and watch the peace and joy in your heart grow and spill over into the lives of others.

In a world of pain, political divisiveness, and busyness at breakneck speed, how do you and I really embrace Jesus’ command “Peace, be still!?”
Have you ever considered that our relational God would rather have you spend time with Him, than do a bunch of things for Him?

When you understand that concept, you can embrace peace regardless of your circumstances, and experience stillness instead of feeling guilty for not “producing.”

It’s in the stillness and calm of our hearts that we get to know who God really is and understand His instruction thousands of years ago to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NKJV).

Jesus’ words “Peace, be still!” invite us to calm our anxious hearts and trust in the One who can not only sleep during the storm, but can help us do the same. Although Jesus was asleep in the boat that day, Scripture tells us our God “will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), and is ever aware of all that we need, right when we need it.

If Jesus can calm the waves of the sea, He can certainly calm the storms in you and me. If He can command the elements of the earth, He can control the circumstances around us or the storm-tossed emotions within us.

Scripture defines peace as an inward calm that God produces in us through prayer and an awareness of His presence. Peace is trusting God in our circumstances, instead of panicking during the storm as the disciples did. Philippians 4:6-7 defines God’s peace as something that “surpasses all understanding” and “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

We can experience that peace by not being anxious or worrying, but “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving” making our requests known to God. In the New Living Translation, those words read, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

Scripture defines still as a quiet rest and trust in the Lord. In Exodus 14:14, Moses told the Israelites how God would deliver them from the Egyptians: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Isaiah 30:15 tells us “In quietness and trust is your strength.” And in Psalm 46:10, we are told to “Be still, and know that I am God.”

The King James Version translates the phrase “Be still” as “Cease striving.” Therefore, to be still is to trust God and to stop trying to make things happen on our own. Verse after verse, God’s Word reminds us of God’s promise of peace and protection, rest, and refuge when we are in the storm, when we are feeling overwhelmed, and when we need comfort from our distressing circumstances.
Worrying:

Philippians 4:6-7 instructs us to worry about nothing and pray about everything in order to usher God’s peace into our lives.

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”— Romans 5:1.

The true peace of God flows like a river in unceasing activity; it preserves a tranquil frame amidst storm, tempest, and tribulation, by all of which it is frequently assaulted. It is a part of the panoply of God with which a Christian is clothed, to withstand principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in the evil day.

There is a natural disposition of sin to defile, but the blood of Christ speaks peace in the conscience ; there is a constant tendency of the world to destroy our hope, but the peaceful word of Jesus comforts us ; “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”

The word of the Lord was not “When I see your faith,” but “when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Oh, soul, if thou trustest Christ the blood is on thy brow right now, before the eye of God no condemnation. Why, then, needest thou to fear? Thou art safe, for the blood secures every soul that once is sheltered thereby. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and if thou believest not, trust where thou mayest, thou shalt be damned. God help thee to believe in Christ for his name’s ’s sake. Amen.

PRAYER
Lord, help me to obediently worry about nothing and instead, pray about everything, letting You know all that is on my heart and mind, and thanking You ahead of time for how You will work on my behalf. Thank You that as I release my worries to You, through prayer, I will experience Your peace that passes anything I can understand and that peace will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus.

SHALOM!

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