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In Scripture we see a story of Jesus and his disciples. The Lord said, “Let us go to the other side.” So they got in the boat. But something happened that caused them to forget what the Lord had said.
“And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.”
Here is the interesting part…
“And Jesus was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, caress 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?” (Mark 4:37-40)
He had peace in the bottom of the boat. How could Jesus sleep in the middle of this storm? I propose to you because He had peace.
He was not busy looking at what was happening on the surface of the ship. He was at peace in a dark cozy spot in the bottom of the boat sleeping on a pillow.
I propose to you something simple, yet profound. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)
You ready for it? Not only do we have peace, but also we have His peace. The same peace demonstrated in this story is the peace that is available to every one of us. So what was their problem? The problem was that when they should have been resting, they were fretting. They were so caught up in what they saw; they forgot what they knew. They knew what Jesus had said. They knew Jesus was in the bottom of the boat. Where Jesus is – is where we need to be.
There is peace found in the bottom of the boat. The problem is we are not comfortable dwelling in the dark secret places of our boat. When a boat leaks, you know where the water goes? Yes, to the bottom of the boat. When we try to retreat and find rest in our storms we are confronted with the results of leaks in our lives.
When we are looking for peace we are confronted with our problems on the inside. We are more comfortable out worrying about the storms, than dealing with what is inside our hull.
What saps our faith? Is it lack of prayer, Bible reading, hearing and obeying the Word of God? I propose to you that these are simply products of a deeper problem. The problem is we do not have a clean conscience. The turmoil within hinders us from being at peace. This problem is complicated even more when we have storms, when we should be able to seek shelter in the bottom of the boat there is none to find. We are blown about and tossed, because the storm is waging within and without.
We can have His PEACE in the bottom of the boat.
When you have peace in the bottom of the boat, it can speak peace to the storms on the surface. In the Scripture, Jesus speaks of a personal peace. “And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.” (Matthew 10:13)
I believe we have a personal peace. Picture a pool of water. When it is at peace, you can see a reflection. It acts as a mirror. You can also see the bottom of the pool. When something disturbs that pool, all you can see is the disturbance. I believe this is how God convicts us, leads us and even chastens us. It is found in this place of peace. It is inner peace.
I will attempt to explain something the Lord showed me recently. I saw a large body of water. I looked into the water that was very, very deep. I saw a large rock in the deep of this water, and I knew that there was a cave found inside. I went into the water and went to the depths to this rock. I found that in this rock was a cave, where it was dry. It formed an air pocket in the depths of this water. In this place was an area big enough to sleep and rest.
No matter what happened on the surface, nothing could disturb the peace found in this deep place of rest.
We can access this place of deep-seated peace. His peace. It would be nice if when we get the Holy Ghost all things became rosy. We all have the pressure of problems. Sadly I have imitated the disciples instead of Christ in most storms of my life.
The key to having personal peace in the midst of personal problems is to follow your “knows.” Not your eyes, or your ears, or even your feelings. Follow your “Knows.” Follow what you know. I know God is going to take us to the other side. Don’t rest in your five senses.
When we quit living and looking on the surface, we will find that peace in the bottom of the boat. Clean out your boat. Cease doing the things that offend your conscience. Cease from sin and quit disturbing the peace with willful acts. Don’t ignore the prodding of the Spirit.
“There is peace, in the midst of my storm-tossed life,
There is an anchor; there’s a rock
To build my faith upon,
Jesus rides in my vessel, so I feel no alarm,
HE gives me peace in the midst of the storm.”
Clean out your boat and put the plug in. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. We are sealed so tight nothing can leak in or leak out. The storm may be raging, but I have found peace in the bottom of my boat.
In Him, By Him, Through Him,
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