And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:39

Jesus says to the waves “Peace! Be still.” Maybe He is also saying that to His disciples. “Peace! Be still, I Am here.” As we age, we don’t have to go far to find moments of uncertainty or distress, from dropping a pen you can’t pick up, to being told that after a certain age, “we don’t do surgery on that.” Where in life’s issues can we find contentment and peace? Not in crystals, tea leaves, aromatherapy, rituals, or horoscopes. Jesus’ words to His disciples are also for us, His 21st century disciples, “Peace! Be still (I Am here).” That’s a promise!

Psalm 46:10 helps us understand that through tremendous chaos and uncertainty we can stop striving, relax, let go, and let God. “Be still and know that I am God. … I will be exalted in the earth!”

Elise Koenemann
New Haven, IN

Dear Lord, bring Your stillness and great calm to my heart and life. Amen.

Reflect: What do I have to let go of and give to God?

Read: Mark 4:35-41 and Psalm 46