“Peace to Face Life’s Storms,” For the Strength of Youth, Mar. 2023.
Peace to Face Life’s Storms
The Lord Jesus Christ says to you during the storms in your life: “Peace, be still.”
Elder Uchtdorf with young people at the announcement of BYU–Pathway Worldwide on February 7, 2017.
After a full day of teaching by the seaside, the Lord Jesus Christ suggested to His disciples that they cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. After they departed, Jesus found a spot to rest on the ship and fell asleep.
Soon the skies darkened, “and there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full” (see Mark 4:37).
Several of Jesus’s disciples were experienced fishermen and knew how to sail a ship. But the storm raged, and they began to panic. The ship seemed on the verge of sinking.
Through it all, Jesus still slept.
We don’t know how long the disciples struggled in the storm, but at last they could wait no longer. They awakened Jesus and cried, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38).
Illustrations by Adam Howling
The Storms of Life
All of us face sudden storms in life. You may look at problems around the world or your own circumstances and feel distressed, discouraged, and disappointed. Your heart may be broken for yourself or someone you love. You may be worried or afraid and feel that hope has left you forever.
In these times, you may cry out like Jesus’s disciples, “Master, carest thou not that I perish?”
When I was your age, one of my favorite hymns was “Master, the Tempest Is Raging.”1 I could picture myself in the ship when “the billows [were] tossing high!” The crucial and most beautiful part of the hymn follows: “The winds and the waves shall obey thy will: Peace, be still.” Then comes the important message: “No waters can swallow the ship where lies The Master of ocean and earth and skies.”
After His disciples cried out for help, Jesus “arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).
If you will welcome Jesus Christ, “The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), into your ship, you can find peace amidst the turbulent and frightening storms that swirl inside you and around you.
The same words Jesus spoke to the Sea of Galilee that stormy night long ago, He says to you during the storms in your life: “Peace, be still.”
Rely on His Calming Power
Can you imagine how the disciples must have felt once they saw the wind, the rain, and the sea obey their Master’s command? All they could say was, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41).
Jesus Christ is unlike anyone who has ever walked this earth. He came to save us. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He paid the price for all our sins. He also endured all our pain and sorrow. This great and infinite suffering caused Him to bleed from every pore (see Luke 22:44; Doctrine and Covenants 19:18).
What the Lord did out of perfect love is beyond my ability to grasp. But I know He did it for me, for you, and for every soul who has ever lived or will ever live. He gave all that we might receive all.
No one will ever experience what Jesus suffered, but you and I will have our own dark and bitter storms to face. If you lift your heart to the Lord, He will calm your storms, for He has experienced them all. He suffered so selflessly for you and has power to strengthen, encourage, and bless you.
He promises, “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 afraid” (John 14:27).
Ways to Peace
The Lord Jesus Christ has given you ways to feel His peace. He said, “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23).
Learn of Him through studying His life and teachings in the scriptures. Lift up your soul in prayer. “Stand … in holy places,” including the temple (Doctrine and Covenants 87:8; see also 45:32).
Listen to His words from living prophets. Follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Use the divine gift of repentance. Come to His Church to be fellowshipped, taught, and nourished by the good word of God.
Walk in the meekness of His Spirit by making your home a place where His Spirit can be felt. Help others and joyfully serve Him. Remember, “There is peace in righteous doing.”2 Strive to remain faithful and to be a “peaceable [follower] of Christ” (Moroni 7:3).
If you will learn, listen, and walk with the Lord, then comes His great promise: You will have His peace.
Faith to Be Still
With faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can “be still” when the storms of life come upon you. Peace may not be as immediate as it was for the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, but the Lord will strengthen you to get through the storms you face.
My dear friend, I testify that Jesus Christ lives.
He loves you.
He knows you.
He understands you.
He will not leave you comfortless in your time of need.
True peace comes only in and through Him. His peace is for all who will turn to Him.