There is a story about an art contest to find a canvas that would best depict peace. The judges narrowed it down to two finalists.

One painted a serene lake scene as tranquil and idyllic as any you might have seen. That painting came in second.

The winner was a painting of a raging storm. Looking at it, you could almost hear the wind howling, visualize the driving rain and feel the terrifying effects of the storm.

Everything was scary and tumultuous. But, if you looked more carefully, you would see a bird snugly, nestled in a nest, tucked inside a crevice in a cliff, in the midst of the storm. The bird was at peace. 

The point of the story is this. Peace is not the absence of the storm, it is the calm in the midst of the storm.

If we get to this point in our lives, we have a shot at peace. If not, we are doomed to a life of turmoil for, in this life, we will never escape the storm.

Yes, peace can be ours in the midst of the storms of life.

The fact is, our peace comes from within even as everything about us is full of chaos, uncertainty and problems. God Himself is watching over us so we can go about our business in this life, unafraid of life’s problems and what the future might bring. Like the bird in the painting, we can be absolutely secure in the protective embrace of a loving God.

Ask the Lord of nature and all of life to give you peace between the winds of misfortune that blow over you and the piercing scoffs of the enemy that soaks you through.

Ask Him to bring you to that crevice of the heart where He resides in perfect harmony.