Finding God's peace in the storm
Eighteen years ago, I spent a season on a crab boat in the Alaskan Bering Strait fishing for cod and opilio (snow) crab.
Back then, if you were on a crab boat, the rules were not as fishermen friendly as they are today. The crab season was based on the amount of crab tallied by the state and it was a free-for-all to catch as much crab as you could in the shortest amount of time. The crab season demanded a strong work ethic to carry out 18 hours on and six off for 19 days straight. The closing of the season required over 48 hours straight of work without sleep as we gathered hundreds of filled crab pots and stacked them on the deck.
The last day of the crab season a very large storm came into the strait and produced waves from 20-30 feet tall. Our captain guided us through that intense storm as we continued to work on the deck of the boat, trusting him to see what we couldn’t while we worked on hauling in as much of that precious crab as possible. Several times the conditions required that we come in off the deck and wait while he repositioned the boat for our safety in order to ride the waves in a way that could only described as high-level surfing.
I think about that experience often when I see storms happening around me and I must trust the captain of my soul, Jesus, to guide me into the best route through the chaotic waters. I believe that we are in a season of increasing dependence on God as we navigate a chaotic environment politically and culturally. The waves might seem high, and the storm seems too rough to pass through, but we must remember that Jesus is with us.
When we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and the comfort that comes with Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives, we can live fearlessly. Peace is the fruit of His work in us.
Second Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
This is the key to having peace in the storm. We can be confident in our captain to guide us and protect us in the chaos because He is good and loves us. We can be fearless because we are confident that he loves us. First John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” You can have peace in the storm because God loves you and will guide you as you trust Him.
Chris Bassett is the senior leader at Harvest Valley Worship Center, a refuge for healing and a launchpad for transformation. You can contact Chris at chris@hvwc.com.