If life feels like a great storm swirling about you, you can stay out of that storm and find peace.
Jesus was traveling with his disciples by sea one time when a storm suddenly overtook their little vessel. Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the boat. The disciples were growing terrified as the wind grew and tossed their ship helplessly back and forth filling it with water from the raging waves, and as if to say, “The end is near.”
Mesmerized by a belief of impending doom, they woke Jesus and wondered why he wasn’t worried about their fate.
Rather than jumping into their fear, Jesus maintained utter calm and dominion. He stilled the storm with the simple, yet powerful, words, “Peace, be still.” The storm vanished and peace took over. Then he asked them,
“Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (Mark 4:40, RSV).
The spiritual lesson is clear. When the storms of mortal mind rage about us in the form of chaos, conflict, heated emotion, rampant fear, and disease, we can make a choice to not participate in that storm. Rather than succumb to the temptations of mortal mind to believe in a power opposed to God, we can put our faith in God’s ability to maintain order and peace, and then demonstrate it. We can stay out of any storm. We can find peace in God’s omnipotence and omnipresence and experience the profound calm it brings.
Stay in the calm!
‘Be still!’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/13ezs8786t6?s=e
Beautiful reminder that even though dart are hurled at us we’ll not be hit
Perfect thoughts to begin this day.
I promise to “demonstrate” calm in all my interactions today. That is how I will honor your thoughts of this day Evan.
Thank you❣️
I love this story about Jesus saying Peace..be STILL”. I’d have loved to be there and seen that! We also need to hold that thought …for instance sometimes in the meetings of organisations that we are a part of. Tonight I tried to be “calm” in the mental storm that was going on in my thought in a meeting, but instead I ended up feeling very despondent…better than angry of course but “Peace, be still” would have been a more helpful thought.
Thank you as always for your inspirational Spirit View Evan.
Many years ago, when working as a Nurse Specialist, a long-term patient passed away.
I wanted to attend her funeral and had to organise my busy day accordingly.
I had “Peace be still” in my thoughts, as one stumbling block after another rose up before me. The loved citation became a counter thought to those challenges.
Eventually, perilously close to being late for the start of the service, with what was now almost a mantra running in my thought. I flew along the streets to the Church where the funeral was being held.
I slowed my pace to walk in and as I opened the doors to the Sanctuary, the congregation stood up to sing the first Hymn
“Be Still and Know”
I was filled with such gratitude and love as I stood with the assembled family and friends to sing those beautiful words.
Beannachd
I love your story, Bennachid!!! Thank you so much for sharing. And great thoughts, Evan,
Many times I have prayed “Peace be still” to lower the intensity of natural disasters and now I will expand that powerful prayer to simple moments in life where help is instantly desired. Always grateful when my prayerful thoughts are expansive!
“O gentle presence, peace , and joy, and
power;
O Life divine, that owns each waiting hour.
Peace brings the added blessing of, joy, and
this is power to every situation.
With, Life divine, owning what seems to be
a waiting hour, sending peace and joy.
Thank you, Evan and Angie. Very helpful for me today. So necessary to cultivate this infinite view.
Thank You!
Thank you so much Evan. How necessary it is to let the calmness of spiritual consciousness open up our thought , thereby preparing our receptiveness for guidance from Divine Mind.
Whatever seems to be , we must persevere in thought and deed to seek Truth, live Life and love Love❣️
Years ago, we were driving home in the winter after visiting family. The trip would normally take about 6 hours, but it was stormy. The radio stations were all predicting that the storm would get worse throughout our entire route. My wife was driving, so we turned off the radio and I opened the Bible, at random, to the story mentioned above. I read it, and then prayed with the ideas. Instead of worsening, the weather became progressively better through the trip, which was successfully completed. Our drive took longer than normal, but there was never a moment where we felt unsafe on the road
How wonderful Ricky!
“The unreliable physical senses do not make proper distinction between fact and fable. To them the storm is very real and frightening…”
What does God know about this? by Arno Preller
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1cxpvuwrpp4
I LOVE THAT WORD “unreliable ” J”. Especially when applied to the description of “the body”. Fell 2 days ago, falling forward on a concrete entry way while entering a store. Got up picked myself off, dusted off the pant legs of my trousers, and walked into the store, unharmed; unafraid; without a mark or “condition” of the physical senses. The pure sense of God’s qualities, intact, unharmed, unafraid were evidence that there was no “fall” nor physical sense was harmed, as I lifted my feet while walking during the rest of the visit, as well as driving all the way home. The entire experience was PURE JOY!
Evan,
I really appreciate this post. As a lawyer, it often seems that I am surrounded by conflict. Many times I have prayed, “Peace, be still!” This post reminds me of the recap of Scott Preller’s interview with the Sentinel, in the March Journal. Scott says, discussing this Bible story, when Jesus’s disciples came to him to say “‘Why aren’t you concerned about us? Don’t you see our storm?” [H}e basically says, “No, don’t you see my peace?’ and calms the storm.” What absolute dominion to not even get caught up in the storm for a second!
Thanks for that quote from Scott Preller Jeff, I love it. Powerful.
I looked at other translations of the quote from Mark 4:40 that Evan shared. Many of them say things like, Why are you Still afraid, Why do you Yet have no faith, and one (The Voice) says, After all you’ve seen, where is your faith. Implying that they (and we) have already witnessed enough demonstrations of God’s power and good that we can trust it and we don’t have to become so fearful.
CS Hymn 457
“Not in the storm nor the earthquake nor the wave, You’re not in the wind nor the flame.” I love this line because it tells me that God is not in the noise and chaos and tribulation, so these things can’t impact or harm me. I can’t find Him by humanly analyzing so-called material circumstances.
The next line is “In the still of the evening, in the hush of the morning call my name.” So I can hear God in the still, small, true voice that is always speaking to us, calmly, underneath all the loud shouts of the world. Blessings to all for a calm day!
While traveling down a very busy Expressway heading home I looked over and saw in slow motion a truck and van colliding. Everyone was going the same fast speed and I remember thinking we should be obedient and slow down. When I looked in my rearview mirror there was nothing on the road behind me, not one car. I traveled on home feeling such gratitude for the protection.
What a beautiful photo depicting the calm and serene waters of true spiritual consciousness.. Thank you Evan. A peaceful day to all!
Thank you, Evan and all. I’ve been praying about the Truck drivers in Canada and elsewhere regarding the storm over mandates. “Be Still” is so calming. A mandate is a command with authority. I’ve searched the Bible looking for references to all the commands. I’ve concluded that the most important today are Jesus’ commands, Mat. 22: 36-40. Living with these two will bless everyone and still the storm of confusion. We will find that all the “supposed” mandates of human planning will fade finding freedom through loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul and our neighbor as ourself.
A sailboat is becalmed, that is, rendered motionless by lack of wind. Refuse to be blown by matter-induced winds. Be calm. Be still and know that I am God.
An epiphany! This is the first time when reading this story about Jesus calming the sea, that it occurred to me that when he said, “Peace, be still”, he may not have been talking/just talking to the sea, but stating this to his disciples, and/or to himself, out loud. When he stated that, he was claiming peace as the Truth and reality to hold onto, and perhaps he was using it as a “blanket” declarative for peace to be reigning at all times overall.
Thank you, Evan! The epiphany gave me “Wide(r) Horizons” of understanding to consider.
Last night I dreamed that my practitioner came to visit me. I have been struggling without success, many physical challenges. He had a liquid for me to drink that would put me to sleep painlessly and permanently. He said he’d stay with me until I was gone. I drank it and fell asleep peacefully. I awoke about 4 hours later with no pain, only some discomfort. I have never slept more than a couple of hours at a time for over two years. This certainly wasn’t a thought from God, although I have been praying to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. I don’t know what to think about it.
Any suggestions?
The thought that came to me when I read your post and saw your name Dreamer was Hymn 412
O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,
O captive, rise and sing for thou art free;
The Christ is here, all dreams of error breaking,
Unloosing bonds of all captivity.
Sending love and good thoughts to know that your Clarity to understand what you need to understand is intact, from God.
Thanks so much Rose for your response reminding me of one of my favorite hymns. And most importantly the love you expressed.
Thank you so much for these encouraging words. Just now I was enjoying a laugh about high school days with a dear friend. Love and laughter, what blessings they bring!!!