Peace I Leave With You

 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

The infamous typhoon Haiyan that devastated parts of the Philippines in November 2013, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. As I watched helplessly on CNN, I saw swathes of water enveloping cities, felling trees, moving huge boats inland. My sister-in-law in Coron, Palawan, reported being terrified of the strong winds and rain which blew through the open windows of their house. And then, suddenly, peace. The eye of the storm.

In our life, there will always be upheavals, challenges, frustrations. For me every day brings new challenges with my health. Yesterday every breath I took was painful. Today there is no pain but my left arm is aching and difficult to move. We have been planning reopening our online portal and branches in the midst of uncertainty and confusion. So much to disturb our peace. If.we.let.it.

In the same way that in any typhoon, there is the eye where one can find calmness, God has also provided a place for us to meet Him. In Psalm 46:10, we read, "Be still and know I am God." Even if all is raging outside, we should not permit the fury to come into our heart and mind and spirit. I picture a boat in the middle of a stormy sea. As long as the water does not get into the boat, it will be all right. As long as we do not allow the storm to affect our emotions, our attitude, our thinking, we will be all right.

Exodus 14:14 is one of my very favorite verses: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still, you shall hold your peace." Our part is to keep still. If we manage that, God will keep the water out of our boat, even if any storm or virus does its worst!