“... ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’” Mark 6:50b (ESV)

It was my first time visiting the U.S. state of Georgia, before we had iPhones and instant weather reports. Before I drove out to hike, local news warned of intermittent showers.

After parking, I realized I’d forgotten my rain gear. Should I leave? The sun was shining. Armed with waterproof hiking boots and a baseball cap, I figured, I’ll be fine.

Hours later, as I trekked through thick woods, it started sprinkling. Then rain poured in sheets, coming down sideways. I found out the weather system up on that mountain was completely different from the one back in town.

Storm clouds quickly moved in, darkening the sky. Gusts of wind howled. Claps of explosive thunder boomed as lightning discharged around me in ominous, intense flashes like strobe lights. I was scared. Disoriented. It got so dark I couldn’t see the trail well without a flashlight or map. There I stood, cold and soaked through — stuck in the middle of a thunderstorm.

That’s how it feels to be caught in a storm in life. Troubling circumstances happen to you suddenly. You feel helpless and don’t know what to do. Are you in the middle of a storm? Or is someone you love overwhelmed by one? You feel your world spinning out of control.

The truth is we aren’t in control. But God is.

Jesus stands in our confusion and whispers, Take My hand. I will carry you through. I am with you. I will be your peace.

Sometimes the only way out of a dilemma is letting Jesus take you through the storm — and finding that His peace will carry you better than any plan.

Once, Jesus was also alone on a mountain, praying after sending His disciples ahead of Him into the Sea of Galilee — where they, too, met a storm (Mark 6:45-48). It’s hard to understand why Jesus would send them out on a journey knowing they’d encounter a storm. But let's look closer …

Jesus saw His friends straining at the oars, and He came to them: “Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid’” (Mark 6:50b).

Peter attempted to walk to Jesus on the water but sank because he feared the wind’s strength. “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him,” Matthew 14:31 tells us (ESV). Then He got into the boat, and the wind stopped.

Jesus is with us in the storm and calms us with His promises. He moves us from having “head knowledge” to personally experiencing Jesus in our hearts: the powerful peace of the Master’s presence. Because peace, after all, is a person.

God has a plan in the storms of life, but we don’t always know what it is. That’s the part that requires faith. We reach for a plan, but Jesus offers His hand instead of a map. So let go of Plan A, B or C. Take it one day at a time.

And remember you’re not alone. We’re all in the same boat together as followers of Jesus. Reach out for help, and surround yourself with friends to support you.

Jesus sees that you’re weary, straining at the oars. He will carry you through.

Dear Jesus, take my hand. Be my peace. Never let me go. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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FOR DEEPER STUDY

Isaiah 46:4, “I will be the same until your old age, and I will bear you up … I have made you, and I will carry you …” (CSB).

What helps you experience God’s peace? Share with us in the comments!

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