Peace Be Still!

Psalm 65:6-7

...by his strength settest fast the mountains;

being girded with power:

Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves,

and the tumult of the people.

One of my favorite places to walk is along the shore of Lake Erie. I love to soak in the smells of the water, the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and beach, and feel the power of it all echoing inside my chest. There's such power and majesty in God's creation!

This past weekend I went out on a sunset boat tour and discovered some things that even an avid enthusiast like me didn't know. Lake Erie (241 miles long) is the shallowest of all the great lakes with an average depth of 61 feet, and the most dangerous. Because it lacks depth, storms can quickly cause treacherous waves to form. Per square inch, Lake Erie has had the most shipwrecks of any body of water on Earth.

I can only imagine what the disciples must've felt like that day on the Sea of Galilee as they faced the storm of their lives. I'm sure these hardened fishermen must've weathered some severe storms during their profession. Like Lake Erie, the Sea of Galilee (actually a lake 13 miles in length) is also shallow - averaging 84 feet in depth. But this storm cause inbridled terror and certainty of death among the disciples.

Yet as the winds whipped their sails out of control and the waves fiercely threatened to send them to the bottom, Jesus slept peacefully in the bottom of the ship. In times like that it's hard to remember that the power of the storm is only a reflection of the power of the Creator. When He arises and simply says, "Peace be Still" the elements become quiet and the fear tearing through the chest of its victims fades away.

In that moment, wonder and awe at the majesty of our God is like ....

How would you describe it?