Peace, Be Still

The weeks of insanity never seem to end in my world. Stiff backs, sore feet, and sick days become as universal a constant as does completing assignments and trying to squeeze in time for cleaning my room (in a constant state of ineffective disorganization after several days away). Finally I plunked down this evening to catch up on some much needed study, exhausted from another long weekend at work.

The passage that stuck out to me the most was Mark 4: 37-40 (NKJV). Christ was heading to the other side of a lake after a long day of preaching, when death seemed to loom at the disciples' doorsteps (or, more accurately, at the stern of their ship).

"And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat the boar, so that it was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Then he arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But he said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?""

I was thinking all day at work how busy I am. I never have a chance to have a full Sabbath rest, and prayer has definitely been put on the back burner. Part of it is because I am afraid of failure. Will I have enough money to pay back loans? Will I be able to finish school, let alone this semester with good grades? Will I get such and such assignment done? A lot of my life revolves around a fear of failure from the perfection I strive for, and in that fear, I forget about God.

A friend of mine told me recently that I shouldn't be so anxious about my school and work. "You know yourself by now that you will do your best to complete it," she advised, "So don't worry." I could take the same advice in saying, I know God well enough by now that he will provide enough to complete it. When the storms of life crash in, and we're full of fear and trembling that it just won't calm down, God gazes into our eyes and whispers, "Peace, be still." It is there in his presence we are no longer meant to fear the crisis of this life.