Peace in the Midst of Your Storm

Psalm 46:1-3

46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Psalm 46 is a beautiful song about abiding in a place of peace where there is neither fear nor worry because God is your protection. With all the turmoil around us, this seems like a place to which everybody would want to go, but how do we get to that place of peace?

Peace is one of those things that is often sought after but very rarely obtained. The reason is that each of us defines peace as it suits ourselves. The result is that what one person defines as peace may cause conflict to another. We need a standard definition of peace. We need to have a peace that can satisfy all conflict.

The place of peace described in Psalms 46 is a peace that is defined by God. So, to get to that place of peace we have to learn and understand the peace that is given by God.

There are three kinds of peace that God has given:

• Peace with God

• Peace of God

• Peace from God

Since God has given peace, He expects us to receive it. Let's look at each kind of peace to understand what is required of us in order to receive it.

Peace with God

Rom 5:1

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Isaiah 9:6

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The peace of God is external, or outward facing. It is based on a relationship with God. The journey to true peace starts here. In order to experience true peace we must be in relationship with Him who is the Prince of Peace.

Why?

We are born into sin and by nature are the enemies of God (Rom. 3:23; 8:5-8).

Scripture reveals that by nature we oppose God and are continually in conflict with Him. Since we are born without peace, we need a conduit, a pathway to peace. Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6) and He is the Way (John 14:6), so this means that Jesus is the Way to Peace. Rom. 5:1 plainly tells us that once we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ we have peace with God.

Peace with God is about relationship. Through Jesus Christ, we are no longer the enemies of God but are now at peace with Him. Peace with God means that we are now His children, under His care. This peaceful relationship then is like an umbilical cord to God the Father through which we are continually fed the peace that will nourish our soul.

Peace of God

Phil. 4:6-7

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The peace of God is internal, or inward-facing. When we obtain this peace, we will have peace no matter what is happening around us.

The peace of God is the answer whenever we experience any kind of stress because it will keep our hearts and minds from being consumed with worry, fear, doubt, unbelief, depression and any other negativity.

How do we receive the peace of God?

Phil. 4:6-7 tells us:

1. Don't be anxious, don't worry

2. Let God know our requests through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Prayer is a two-way conversation with God, meaning that it involves both talking and listening.

Supplication is asking for something earnestly and humbly.

Most of us have been taught that prayer is supplication and because of that we only think of prayer as asking, begging, pleading and moaning but prayer is so much more. When we learn how to pray we will begin to talk to God instead of talking at God. We will learn how to be quiet and wait for an answer (Ps. 46:10). We will learn what it means to be a friend of God as He shares with us. When we learn to supplicate we will begin to understand that we are coming to God as His children asking, not begging or pleading, to our Father who is our Source and Provider. We will understand that we can leave our concerns in His very capable hands.

By communing with God in prayer and making requests of God earnestly and humbly, we will release all of our anxieties, stresses and worries to God. This brings us to a place of gratitude where we can thank God for taking and resolving all of our anxieties, stresses and worries. This will open the door to the peace of God because by doing all of these things, our hearts and minds are brought into submission to God rather than to submission fear or worry. This is the place of protection that Psalm 46 is talking about.

Peace From God

Mark 4:37-39

37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38 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?

39 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.

Peace from God is another external or outward-facing peace but this peace affects our surrounding environment, it changes everything around us.

The peace from God is that peace which we can decree in everything that concerns us and in everything we touch.

Once we have established peace with God and walk in the peace of God, the next step is to decree the peace from God in our surrounding environment. Jesus gave us an example of this kind of "decreed peace" in Mark 4:37-39. Jesus verbally spoke the words "Peace, be still" and calmed the wind and the waves.

God has given His saints the power to verbally decree peace but most of us do not know it. By His Spirit we can decree peace to any type of storm whether spiritual or natural and the storm must obey!

But why? A decree by definition is a rule of law so this is in reality a legal matter. We have to know we are operating under the immutable Law of God established in His Word. But wait, didn't the Law end when Grace came? The Law of Moses was succeeded by the Law of Grace. Understand that "law" and "grace" are not opposing terms but complementary in the sense that grace is in force because Jesus fulfilled the Law. We moved from the Covenant of the Mosaic Law to the Covenant of Grace.

Let's review some of the legal terms of the Covenant of Grace:

Matt. 7:7-8

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

John 14:12-14

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

Mark 11:23 (Matt. 17:20; 21:21)

23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

1 John 5:14-15

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

We need to know what God's Word says to us and for us because of Ps. 138:2:

Ps. 138:2

2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

God's name is holy and the name of Jesus is lifted high above every name, but God has magnified His Word above all of that! This is why it is important to God that we know His Word! God's Word is a covenant and it is a legally binding agreement. That means that legally if we ask anything according to God's will in Jesus' name, it is done! We have to understand the legality of the matter because Satan has illegally usurped the authority we have in Christ because of our ignorance of God's Word. Once we know that we have legal rights, we can go before God, our Judge, to raise objections and put a legal restraining order on Satan.

One such restraining order is to decree peace in the midst of your storm just like Jesus did in Mark 4:37-39. First, notice that Jesus was asleep (resting) during the storm even though the winds were blowing, the waves were rocking the boat and the boat was filling with water. Second, when He was awoken He rebuked the wind then spoke to the sea and said “Peace, be still”. So, Jesus rebuked the cause of the storm, then spoke peace and calm to the resulting turmoil. We should follow this same example as we decree peace to our surroundings.

Summary

What have we learned?

• In order to get to the place of peace we first have to establish peace with God by relationship with God.

• Once in relationship with God, we have a conduit to receive the peace of God in our souls which delivers us from fear, worry, stress, anxiety and depression.

• God has given those in relationship with Him power to declare peace with God in our environment. This power is of course through His Holy Spirit (Acts. 1:8).