“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!”
Habakkuk 3:17-18
Is peace possible in the middle of your storm?
What image comes to mind when you hear the word “Peace”?
Maybe it’s a tranquil place such as a green meadow with a trickling brook where the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and everything is pristine. Maybe it is simply the absence of chaos. Maybe it is what you are wishing your life was like right now.
What kind of peace are you pursuing? Absence of trouble and hardship? My friend, this kind of peace will always be just beyond our reach. It will slip through your fingers like sand. What if peace was more like a place of refuge during a raging storm? Could it be that the peace Jesus offers is not the absence of trouble, heartache, and brokenness, but the peace we are given in the middle of our mess?
A few years ago, I came across the above verses tucked back in the obscure book of Habakkuk, found near the end of the Old Testament. They took my breath away. What kind of a person says this in the middle of such horrendous devastation?
I believe the author of Habakkuk is telling us where true peace is found. It isn’t the absence of chaos, but rather knowing where to go for sanctuary in the middle of it. This kind of peace is easier to grasp in the difficult times if we have made a habit of being with our Lord in the easy times through prayer, Bible reading, and quiet times alone with Him.
Are you willing to embrace the peace that Jesus offers ? shelter in a time of storm, refuge in the chaos, and sanctuary in the middle of the mess?
Lord, I am constantly wishing my life to be trouble free, but that was never what you promised. You promised your presence and your peace. Teach me to trust You and to take shelter in the shadow of your wings. Amen.
