You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3

Peace is often misunderstood. We think of tranquility, calm waters, a lack of conflict, and smooth sailing. But peace may be best experienced in how we react to the storms of life.

Richard Fuller, a 19th-century minister, told of an old seaman who said, “In fierce storms, we must put the ship in a certain position and keep her there.”

Fuller continued, “This, Christian, is what you must do. . . You must put your soul in one position and keep it there. You must stay upon the Lord; and, come what may—winds, waves, cross seas, thunder, lightning, frowning rocks, roaring breakers—no matter what, you must hold fast your confidence in God’s faithfulness and His everlasting love in Christ Jesus.”

I remember reading this quote some time ago – “when a person gets bumped they spill whatever they are full of.” If our hope is anchored in Christ then the bumps of life should reveal the same in our lives.

In John 13, Jesus told his closest disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world”(John 13:33).

I have several friends who are experiencing real storms of life. You may be in the middle of your own storm today. How do you respond when your life is bumped?