“Jesus Christ: Peace among the Storms,” For the Strength of Youth, Mar. 2023.
Come, Follow Me
Jesus Christ: Peace among the Storms
Some days, you might feel tossed about by life’s storms. But Jesus Christ has the power to bring you peace that you won’t find anywhere else.
Peace, Be Still, by Yongsung Kim
Halfway through my senior year of high school, I received a huge surprise. My parents had been called to preside over the Uruguay Montevideo Mission, which meant they’d be moving to the other end of the world with my four younger siblings. I was already stressed about graduating high school, but now I’d be attending college all alone, with my family on a different continent. I was terrified.
My transition from high school to college was extremely hard for me. While I was surrounded by kind roommates and thousands of students, I had never felt more alone. The pressures of school were overwhelming. I didn’t know what I wanted to study and found the classes challenging. I was also struggling through an emotionally manipulative relationship, which took a huge toll on my mental health. My fear of the future overwhelmed me.
Soon my feelings of depression, fear, and loneliness made it hard to function. Even normal routines felt impossible. One morning, I was asking Heavenly Father to give me the strength to make it through the day. “I can’t keep doing this alone,” I prayed. In a rare moment of mental and emotional clarity, I had the words come to my mind “You don’t have to.” Peace flooded my mind. The storm in my mind was calmed.
The next few months (and years) weren’t easy. My feelings of depression and loneliness didn’t instantly go away. But for the first time, I understood on a personal level what it meant to have a Savior. I knew He understood my challenges and my pain. I knew He was the only one who could help me, and He did.
Years later, I’m a returned missionary, a college graduate, and happily married. And I know I wouldn’t have achieved any of those goals if I hadn’t trusted in the Lord.
Photograph from Getty Images
Peace, Be Still
Jesus was asleep on the boat with His Apostles when a great storm arose. The Apostles awoke Jesus, saying, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Just when they thought they were going to die in the raging storm, the Lord 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).
How many times in your life have you wondered, “Carest thou not that I perish?” Sometimes, when you’re living through difficult challenges, it can be easy to feel lonely and abandoned. You might wonder why the Lord isn’t calming your storms. It might seem like your life will never reach that “great calm” that verse 39 talks about.
However, an important part of this story is the principle that the Savior taught next. He said: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). In their moment of fear and desperation, the Apostles had forgotten who they were with. The Son of God, who had created the very earth, was sleeping on their boat. Why would they fear?
Similarly, the Savior has the power to calm any storm in your life. He can heal your pain, ease your burdens, and provide light when you’re in darkness. Your part in this process is to exercise ever-greater faith in Jesus Christ.
Finding Strength from the Lord
Living with increased faith can bring more of Christ’s power into your life. When Razafimalaza from Madagascar was finishing up a difficult year of school, his aunt died. He was devastated. It became nearly impossible to concentrate during school. He was preparing to take the year’s final exams. He prayed, “Please take away my sadness and give me the strength to attend the exam tomorrow.” After praying, Razafimalaza felt strengthened. “I felt like I forgot my sadness,” he said. “God gives me the strength to do anything.”
It’s important to remember that sometimes the Lord calms the storms in your life, and sometimes He instead calms and comforts you while the storm rages on. When you have faith in Him, you also trust in His will and timing. You believe that He will help you, regardless of when your peace and calm actually arrive.
Trusting in His Timing
A young woman named Ann is familiar with fearful feelings. “I deal with severe anxiety and mild ADHD,” she says. “Sometimes this leaves me feeling misunderstood by others, and it is hard to keep an eternal perspective. Recently I read in Genesis about Sarah, who had to wait decades before having a child. I realized that I might have to wait a long time to heal as well. I know that Christ won’t abandon me when I’m experiencing anxiety. He is there to help me through it.”
Choosing to trust in the Lord doesn’t mean you have to ignore the immense challenges in your life. However, it does mean you should “focus on the infinite greatness, goodness, and absolute power of [your] God, trusting Him … with a joyful heart.”1 When you’re lonely, sad, anxious, or waiting for promised blessings, remember this question: Are you waiting for “a great calm” with a fearful heart or with a faithful heart?