Have you ever been in a storm that filled you with awe, and terrified you to the core? Whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, storms will come, and if we don’t learn how to find peace in them, they will sink us. In this post, I’m going to share 5 ways to find peace in the storm, and choose faith over fear. 

When I lived in Cambodia as a missionary, I got wet a lot. It rained more there than I thought possible on planet Earth. A few times I considered building an ark. 

One afternoon, I left a coffee shack and went out in a lightning storm. I saw a bolt burst down to the ground from the dark sky. Even though it was miles away, it was too close for my comfort. I went back inside.

The moment I stepped into the shack, a flash of light filled the room with a deafening POP.  

I looked outside to see an elderly Cambodian man pointing at a fresh burn mark on the road in amazement. With shaky hands, he looked up and pointed at me. 

The lightning had struck the ground exactly where I had been standing 10 seconds earlier. The man and I were both shocked that I was alive. 

Storms in life — whether physical, emotional, mental, social, or spiritual — can remind us how small we really are and rob us of our peace. Here’s some ideas on how to get your peace back in the midst of life’s tempests.

1. Remember What God Has Told You

Sometimes people think they are in a storm because they did something wrong, but life’s storms aren’t always because of disobedience. The disciples once found themselves in a storm because they obeyed Jesus:

Mark 4:35-37 NLT: As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they took Jesus in the boat and started, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.

Jesus gave His disciples a promise that day:They were going to cross the lake. The storm showed up between Jesus’ promise and the disciples’ obedience.

If the devil cannot get you to ignore God, he will try and take you out before God’s promises are fulfilled for you. Choose to remember what He has promised you. He never breaks a promise.

2. Don’t Let the Storm Get Into You

Mark 4:38 NLT: Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

The disciples became like the environment around them; the fear and uncertainty of the storm outside changed the inside of their hearts. How in the world was Jesus sleeping through a storm? Because, though He was in the storm, the storm was never in Him. 

Don’t let your circumstances change your heart or make you forget what you know to be true about God. 

3. Go to Jesus First

As fishermen, the disciples were exactly the people you would want on your team in a storm. But there was a moment when even they came to the end of themselves and realized, “We need to go to Jesus.”

As long as we try to fight the storm on our own, we will never find peace in it. Peace starts not by figuring out how to get out of the storm but by inviting Jesus into it. 

When our fear gets bigger than our faith, we need to stop trying and start crying out to Jesus. Learn How to pray here

4. Invite — Don’t Accuse

Right away, the disciples asked Jesus: “Don’t you care…?”

We sometimes think the presence of turmoil indicates the absence of God. Surely if God was here, this situation wouldn’t be. He must have abandoned me, we think. 

If you feel like you are always in a Storm or a Wilderness season read a full article as to why you might be in one, and how to best handle it in another post here.

The disciples were mad that Jesus wasn’t acting like them. People will often get mad at those who can rest and remain calm during big troubles; they might even accuse that person of “not caring,” or not acknowledging or understanding how scared they are.

 Jesus was so secure in God when He said earlier, “We are getting to the other side of the lake,” that He was able to fully rest in the journey, rain or shine. It wasn’t that He didn’t care about the disciples’ fear; it just wasn’t necessary to participate in their panic.

Jesus will stay with you in your storm, but He isn’t worried about it. Invite Him into the problem and share in His peace instead of expecting Him to share in your terror.

5. Speak God’s Word Into the Storm

Notice Jesus doesn’t speak to the people. He speaks to the storm. 

Mark 4:39-40 NLT: When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Storms will try to reproduce themselves inside of people. But with Jesus, the opposite occurs. The peace that was in His heart shaped the storm around Him. 

I highly recommend the following books if you would like to go further with finding peace in your storm. Rest in the Stormas well as Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership

The way we approach adversity in this life will reveal what is inside us: fear or faith. Hardships will force us to choose one over the other. For some, the storm is anxiety, fear, or depression. For others, it is sadness, anger, or confusion. For some the storm is relational, others physical, others financial.

No matter the tribulation, we can acknowledge that Jesus is in charge and command the storm inside to be still. 

The world around you will try to get inside of you. We must work hard to shape the world around us with what is inside us, the Holy Spirit.

What about you? What helps you find peace in Jesus throughout the storms of life? Share in the comments below the strategies that help you overcome!