there are blessings in the breaking
peace in the chaos
I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God
Do you ever feel as though the world is just spinning and spinning around you, and yet somehow you aren’t dizzy, like there is just complete chaos going on inside of you, but yet there is a strange sense of peace? Have you ever felt so conflicted, feeling both utter confusion and lack of clarity, and yet a complete, deep sense of security, and being grounded that no matter what turmoil was going on inside, you were confident everything was going to be fine?
“Peace is not found in the absence of the storm, but in the presence of Jesus.”
I have found, especially of late, that just as we are capable of feeling gratitude and grief simultaneously, we also have the capacity to feel chaos and peace at the same time, and it’s often in these periods of life where we are being broken, that we can also find the blessings in the breaking. Sound like complete craziness? I know, maybe because I am walking through one of “those times” right now. I can attest to the reality of the experience.
It's hard to imagine we can find blessings in the midst of being broken, or peace in the midst of chaos, but that is exactly what we can have when we invite Jesus to walk along with us throughout our life. We are going to have trials and hardships because this world is broken. There is going to be confusion and chaos, but with faith and trust in Jesus, we can also have peace in the middle of it all.
The same is true in times of brokenness. It isn’t humanly possible to see the blessings in times when we feel like we are being broken or in times when we feel like God has abandoned us. But, if we ask God to open our eyes to understand what it is He wants us to learn in those moments, He is faithful to do so. Our trials are not for nothing. He desires for us to be made stronger and wiser for future challenges, and so that we might help others when they are struggling.
My bible readings this week have taken me to the popular story in Matthew 14: 22-33 NIV when Jesus invites Peter to get out of the boat amidst a terrible storm out on the sea. I cannot think of a better example of peace in the chaos, or blessings in the breaking. Jesus is walking on the raging water towards the boat filled with His disciples and He asks Peter to trust Him, to have faith in what Peter doesn’t know or see, and to get out of the boat and walk on the water to Him.
So, Peter climbed out of the boat and began to walk on the water.
photo by Jannis Lucas @jannis_lucas
In the midst of the chaos, the raging storm, his own fear raging inside, and the fear of the other disciples, Peter found peace in his faith in Jesus. A peace amidst the chaos that gave him the confidence to get out of that boat and walk on the water, but, when he let go of that peace and started to doubt, when he took his eyes off Jesus, Peter began to sink. The waves pulled him under, but Jesus lifted Peter out of the water and back to the safety of the boat.
Then Jesus calmed the storm.
“Peace is not found in the absence of the storm, but in the presence of Jesus.” ~Pastor Jeffery Poor
Jesus not only calmed the actual storm, but the storms raging inside the disciples. They feared Jesus had forgotten them and left them to die. All of that changed, with just His presence. Jesus’ presence in the storm brought peace to Peter, enough peace for Peter to trust Him in the chaos and step out onto the water. The blessings Peter received in the brokenness of his fear was to experience a miracle by walking on the water.
Jesus gave Peter and the disciplines peace in the midst of chaos, and the blessing of witnessing His walking on water, Peter’s walking on water, and His sovereignty over the wind and the waves, a story for them to share in their future ministries. He does the same for us. Jesus is our guiding light in our darkest days. He is our lighthouse that will guide us to safety when we are tossed about the waves of life.
When life is a tumultuous storm, keep looking to the light, Jesus. He will be your anchor in your storms and a light in your darkest nights. When you follow Jesus, especially in the midst of your trials and storms, He will bless you. He is preparing you for so much more than you could imagine. There are blessings in the brokenness.
God wants to tell an incredible story through your life. He has “walk on water moments” for all of us, moments where we have to let go of fear and trust him. Often we settle for boring and safe. Often, we don’t have faith to get out of the boat and trust His goodness. Often we miss His peace and His blessings in the brokenness.
Something to consider: Do you feel as though your life is full of chaos, and you would like to have peace in the midst of it? Do you need His light to cut through the darkness for you? Do you need to surrender today, to something you can’t see, and trust that God is up to something, that He has blessings for you in the brokenness, and He wants to give you peace in the chaos? Will you trust Him now, and ask Jesus to walk with you through your storms?
