Peace, Be Still

The wind's howling with a ferocity common in other parts of Wyoming (sorry Casper, Laramie, Cheyenne…) but infrequent here.  I lay awake early this morning pondering Mark 4:39, when Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and waves, saying, "Peace, be still," and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.  Even though the violent gale outside raged on, I felt peace in my heart knowing that I find refuge and strength in Him (see Psalm 46).

I got up, and in my Bible Study I read Ephesians 2:2, where some translations refer to satan as "the prince of the power of the air," and I considered the wind.  We can't see the wind, which is just air, but we fear its noise and we see what blows along with it; we see its destruction.  And we know that satan has no power whatsoever when Jesus rebukes him.  Though the devil is a force very real and present in this world, I'm grateful to trust in Someone with more substance and authority than mere air.  

Noisy storms may scream and rage, cause us fear and destroy all we know and love, but they cannot quench the power of the Jesus and His Holy Spirit to give us calm, forgiving, full hearts, even in midst of a storm.  Jesus might not immediately quell windstorm rattling my windows, but He gives me peace and strength in my heart to know that the battles are already won.  

Before I’d even finished typing this, the wind died to a gentle breeze in the tops of the trees.  When I go outside and listen, I can still hear it still angrily raging down the valley, but here in my house, it’s comparatively, “a great calm.”  Selah.