Jesus: The Calm in my Storm

Psalm 5:2 Here my cry for help, my king and my God, for to you I pray.

In the summer of 1993, I travelled to Honduras to participate in a medical missions team. The villages we would visit were remotely located deep in the mountains surrounding the capital city of Tegucigalpa. As our bus lumbered up the rain-drenched road, it suddenly lurched and slid right to the edge of the mountain-side road we were travelling.


The bus was full of mature adults who were in such a panic, I feared their erratic actions would push us right over the edge of our already tenuous situation. A calm overtook me as I resolved myself to the task at hand. I set aside thoughts of my inferior youth, and began to organize a fashion to get everyone off the bus. A clear mind and self-control were required to ensure our safety.


Today's passage is 1 Peter 4. This chapter contains general instructions on a variety of topics from how to deal with suffering to the be way to use our gifts to serve others. These may seem like unrelated topics but are bridged by a verse that reveals the key to both enduring difficulties and being all God asks of us: prayer. "Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." (Verse 7)


Have you ever felt so exhausted with emotion, so overcome by your situation, you felt like you couldn't even pray? I know I have. In life's most trying moments, it seems much simpler to give up than press forward. In those instances, I have to set aside my panic and distress and allow a clear mind and self-controlled will to allow God to navigate my life to safety. I need to stop and pray.


Jesus, you are with me through every minute of life. Today in the midst of whatever circumstance I find myself - calm or stormy waters - I will be clear minded and self-controlled so I can pray.