When the Savior began preparing His disciples to understand the divinity of His mission, He gave them a promise.
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
What is the Lord’s peace? How does He give it to us, and more importantly how do we receive it so that it becomes a part of us? How can we find that peace when the world is storming around us, threatening every fiber of our being?
His peace is the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is this gift that He refers to in the verse before His promise of peace in John 14:27.
“But the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26
The Holy Ghost is called by many names in the scriptures. To me, Comforter says it all. Comfort and peace are at the center of the very nature of the Holy Ghost. No matter what role He is filling it brings peace to the recipient. For instance, knowledge and learning based in the teaching of Jesus Christ is a source of peace. It is the role and mission of the Holy Ghost to lead us toward Christ and to testify of the Savior’s divinity to those who seek Him.
I often think of the hymn, “Master, the Tempest is Raging”. when my life seems to be spiraling out of control.
1. Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness.
No shelter or help is nigh.
Carest thou not that we perish?
How canst thou lie asleep
When each moment so madly is threat’ning
A grave in the angry deep?[Chorus]
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace, be still.2. Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!3. Master, the terror is over.
The elements sweetly rest.
Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
And heaven’s within my breast.
Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
Leave me alone no more,
And with joy I shall make the blest harbor
And rest on the blissful shore.
This hymn tells the story found in Matthew 8:23-27
“And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
There is another hymn with a simple melody that also finds itself stuck in my brain quite frequently. Whenever I catch myself humming it, I open my mind to the words and remember the gentle comforts of Christ’s gospel. It will always bring peace.
1. How gentle God’s commands!
How kind his precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord
And trust his constant care.2. Beneath his watchful eye,
His Saints securely dwell;
That hand which bears all nature up
Shall guard his children well.3. Why should this anxious load
Press down your weary mind?
Haste to your Heav’nly Father’s throne
And sweet refreshment find.4. His goodness stands approved,
Unchanged from day to day;
I’ll drop my burden at his feet
And bear a song away.“How Gentle God’s Commands,” Hymns #125
Christ gives each of us with the same promise He gave to the disciples who walked and talked with Him. He will not leave us comfortless; He offers each of us His peace if we invite the Spirit to be with us. As we mold our lives to the example of Jesus Christ we encourage the Holy Ghost to be our companion, to teach us, to guide us, and to calm the wind and the waves as we need Him to by placing our trust.
This is Jesus Christ’s promise of peace:
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:”
“Even the winds and the sea obey [me]”
“That hand which bears all nature up, shall guard his children well.”
“Peace, be still. Peace, be still.”
