The story is told of two painters who decided to have a contest: Who could draw a better picture of peace? The first man painted a beautiful mountain scene with a perfectly calm lake in the middle. Can you picture it? He didn’t win. The second man painted a steep cliff with a violent waterfall. The sky was ominous. The wind blew across the canvass. Next to the waterfall stood a dead tree. A branch from the dead tree reached out in front of the thundering waterfall. There on that branch of that dead tree sat a little bird perfectly at peace in its little nest. That second painter won. True peace is finding shelter from the storm.
That’s the peace that Jesus brings to those who trust in him. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat” (Isaiah 25:4). True peace isn’t having a trouble-free life. True peace is the strength to be at peace even in the middle of the storm, even in the middle of the heat. True peace is found in Jesus.
Jesus is your shelter from the storm. Your sins have been forgiven by Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus’ presence means you’re never alone. Jesus’ promise of heaven robs even death of its power. In every trouble of life, Jesus is your shelter from the storm.
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