Mighty Lord, even your faithfulness surrounds you.
You rule the raging sea.
When its waves rise, you quiet them.
Psalm 89:8–9
Are you suffering from a big strain on your life? Have you lost your sense of peace? Do you feel like your life is blown and tossed about by the wind and God has let go and left you adrift? Then take your eyes off the waves and look at his face. Every sailor knows that when a boat rises and falls on the ocean’s waves, you can steady your stomach by looking at the steady horizon, not the side of the boat. When you look at something that is immovable, your stomach gets some peace. In the storms of life, your horizon is the face of God. He’s the only one who can quiet the crashing waves. And if you keep your eyes on him, you won’t get sick. If you look to his Word and not stare at the rough waters, you can find peace.
If you aren’t right with God, you can never get your mind off of yourself, and looking at yourself gets in the way of seeing his face. Are you looking to the horizon, to Jesus, right now in the problems in your life, or are you looking at the rough waters of life? If you look up to him, you can be sure you will find peace. The peace that only he can give is dependent not on circumstances or other people but only on your relationship with him. When you take your eyes off him and worry, you get freaked out and depressed because you don’t think about him, just yourself. When you take time to talk things over with him, to know him, and to worship him, your worries dry up and your only thought is how to stay near to him. Jesus is never stressed or freaked. So get close to him in your difficulties and let him say, “I’m giving you my peace” (John 14:27).