Peace in uncertainty…
If I’m honest, peace can feel so elusive to me. I can sometimes think that it will come as a result of having my act together or everything in its proper place, but experience has taught me that if that’s a prerequisite then I’ll never get there.
Other times I think of peace as a natural result of living faithfully, yet like Peter stepping out of the boat, so often my faithful obedience leaves me wide-eyed and full of fear. If I’m honest with myself, I’m trying to trust but the wind and the waves have stolen my gaze and I begin to sink… again.
Despite all of my years of life and experience, I can feel a bit embarrassed to say that I’m here far more often than I’d like to admit. I’ve been through wind and waves before, why did I doubt? Yet each new storm is unique and somehow requires deeper levels of faith and trust than before. Greater faith leads to greater risks and is a part of my spiritual journey and growth, but how do we find peace amid uncertainty?
For those that feel like they are sinking or longing for an otherwise elusive peace, Isaiah 41 is a balm to the soul:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand… for I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”
I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded of this regularly. Life has taught me just how fragile my perceived stability really is. In an instant, everything can change and when life feels unpredictable, I need more than just a helping hand - I need to be upheld. What a powerful word!
In truth, it’s our fears that rob us of the peace that we long for. It’s our anxieties that we try to medicate through drinking, escapism, or endless scrolling late at night under the guise of “me time” - but it never really satisfies. Numbing out always leaves us feeling hollow and devoid of the true peace we are hungering for.
If you’ve ever tried to close your eyes at night and found yourself drowning in anxiety or fear, the hope of this advent season is that Jesus has entered into the messiness of our lives, takes us by our right hand and offers us His hope: “Do not fear, I am with you… I will help you”.
In John 16:33 Jesus anticipates that we’ll experience challenges, which is why he explained to his disciples:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It’s this hope that dispels our fears and leads to peace, “In me you may have peace.” Should everything in our lives come crashing down around us, we can remain anchored to a peace that isn’t contingent on external circumstances.
"Take me, Lord, from busy-ness
To the place of quietness
From the tumult without cease
Into your great unending peace.
Help me then, my Lord, to see
What I am and out to be.
God of life
God of Peace
God of wonders
That will not cease
God eternal
Trinity
God everlasting
Come to me."
-Unending Peace by David Adam
