The first song from my shuffled playlist today was Matthew West’s “Take Heart.

” If you haven’t heard it

before, I challenge you to look it up and let it jumpstart your day as well. He sings, “Woke up this
morning and life as you know it looks nothing like the kind of life you knew before…It don’t feel safe to
even step outside your door.”

The sun may be shining today, but for you, perhaps, that’s all clouded over and dark, dreary, depressing,
and discouraging. If so, take heart and do press on.

I have a story for you. I heard it in a message forty years ago. Well, the sermon actually contained two
stories. I’ll save one for another day. Okay? It’s incredible that I still remember these little stories after
all these years. Some illustrations are like that. They shed light on a Scripture and take up residence in
your heart of hearts, not for a day, but for a lifetime. I have four such treasures tucked deep in my mind
and pushed into the recesses of my heart. I yank them out whenever warranted.

An art instructor, as a final exam, asked students to paint a picture of peace. As she moved around the
room, she noticed beautiful paintings depicting peace, gorgeous green meadows, blue skies, brilliant
sunrays flooding any scene below, and other great renderings. As she looked over the shoulder of
another student, she was shocked to see what was being painted. Lightning permeated the dim dark
skies. Ocean waves cascaded against a wind-beaten rock formation.

The instructor speculated, “You didn’t understand the directions. You are to paint a picture of peace.”

The student explained, “This is my concept of peace. The skies are indeed dark, only lit by the occasional
flashes of lightning. The ocean waves are crashing against the cliff. A tiny bird is hidden in the cleft of the
rock, protected from the lightning, sheltered from the whirlwind. That my professor is my portrait of
peace.” In a scene reflecting darkness, dreariness, depression, and discouragement, if we look close
enough, there is hope, happiness, helpfulness, and healing

It never happens in your home, I know. But, in my little angel family, while the kids were growing, they
would sporadically squabble. I would burst out singing, “Peace, peace, wonderful peace. Coming down
from the Father above. Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray with fathomless billows of love.” (that song
was written William D. Cornell, hold on to your seatbelts, in 1889. Wow! That is timeless truth). My kids
didn’t express my heightened level of excitement.

I would also burst into a form of intercession quoting Scripture, “And the peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians
4:7).
I would neutralize the situation, or at least the attack would turn on me. Pillows may have been
playfully thrown, gazes dramatically cast, and a few words expressed in my direction. But,
peace did prevail!
Kimberly Jones rightfully said, “Don’t let people pull you into their storm. Pull them into your
peace.”
So, you may sense a squeeze of a storm battering you, but remember Jesus is in the situation
with you. He screams, “Silence,” and the wind wavers and cringes as the calm comes.
Some things derve repeating: Jesus, “told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, ‘Quiet!
Settle down!’ The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass….They were in
absolute awe, staggered. ‘Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at his beck and
call!’” (Mark 4:39-41, MSG).

Your storm, situation, sickness, sadness, solitude, and your story will, by faith, hear Jesus posit
peace to your pain, problem, pandemic, and peril. He is passing by and will stop and paint a
portrait of peace!