Finding Peace in the Midst of the Storm

 "We went through fire and through water: but You brought us out into a wealthy place" (Ps. 66:12).

Paradoxical though it be, only that man is at rest who attains it through conflict. This peace, born of conflict, is not like the deadly hush preceding the tempest, but the serene and pure-aired quiet that follows it.

It is not generally the prosperous one, who has never sorrowed, who is strong and at rest. His quality has never been tried, and he knows not how he can stand even a gentle shock. He is not the safest sailor who never saw a tempest; he will do for fair-weather service, but when the storm is rising, place at the important post the man who has fought out a gale, who has tested the ship, who knows her hulk sound, her rigging strong, and her anchor-flukes able to grasp and hold by the ribs of the world.

When first affliction comes upon us, how everything gives way! Our clinging, tendril hopes are snapped, and our heart lies prostrate like a vine that the storm has torn from its trellis; but when the first shock is past, and we are able to look up, and say, "It is the Lord," faith lifts the shattered hopes once more, and binds them fast to the feet of God. Thus the end is
confidence, safety, and peace. --Selected

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True peace comes through conflict. Genuine and authentic joy and peace are won on the battlefield of life. They are fought for and seized through perseverance in adversity.

Peace is the result of confidence, and confidence is gained through experiencing victory in conflict. It is the testing of the storm that proves the sailor worthy. It is the pressing of the battle that validates the soldier. To the nonbeliever it may seem strange to hear that peace comes through conflict, but conflict is the only way it comes.

Dr. Rick Wallace

Quiet does not always mean peaceful. There is the calm before the storm that brings with it anything but peace and then there is the tranquility after the storm that was purchased in the midst of the storm. It is the quiet after the storm that represents peace. So, don't be offended by the fiery trials that come to test you as if some strange thing has happened. This is the trial that comes to every believer to build within him the confidence that precedes the peace.

There is no true peace outside of the battle proven christian soldier who's scars stand as a reminder that no weapon formed against him will prosper. That is where peace is found; in the confidence that circumstances have no bearing on your destiny. So, we must stand up straight; straighten our backs and face the struggle because if we straighten our backs, there is no way that the enemy can ride us. The enemy throws a few punches and we fold over which allows him to hop on for the ride. Stand up in your storm and face the intensity that will ultimately build the confidence that will write your guarantee. ~ Dr. Rick Wallace