Peace in the Storm
August 19, 2026
Sweet Jesus:
When I feel overwhelmed by my circumstances, remind me to take time to focus on You and to listen to You. I love hearing You say to me: “Take heart! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
Listening to You while I am stressed requires great discipline and trust. My racing thoughts make it difficult to hear Your gentle whisper. So, I am grateful for the help of Your Spirit, Who calms my mind when I ask. I rejoice that You, the Prince of Peace, are with me at all times.
You are not only with me, but You are also present in my circumstances. You are in control of everything that happens to me! I know that You are never the author of evil, but You can take bad things and use them for good. This does not always eliminate my suffering, but it redeems it, infusing it with meaning.
So, whenever I find myself in a storm of difficulties, I will listen for Your voice telling me: “Take heart! It is I.” And I will look within the storm for signs of Your abiding presence. Your Word assures me that I will seek You and find You when I search for You with all my heart. In Your calming Name, Amen
(from Sis. Heidi Peralta)
EMPATHY
"Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." (Romans 12:15)
"Lord, that You would choose me to share my life—with all its ups and downs—is a tremendous miracle to me. To know that my pain is Your pain and my laughter is Your laughter fills me with wonder. How can I matter so much, knowing that I so often attach too much importance to myself?
My own envy prevents me from feeling the joy of a friend who has just attained something that I desire. My fear keeps me from joining them in their sorrow.
Lord, open my heart to the blessing of empathy!
Yes, it will hurt when others hurt, but this will draw us closer to one another... and to You. And I, too, will soar when they soar, and You will be with us there as well."
Do you have someone today with whom to rejoice or weep?
We all need cheerleaders in our lives, people you can count on to pray for you, encourage you in your faith, and to keep you focused on what matters. They root for you, but they can’t necessarily go through it with you, if you know what I mean. However, there is One that not only prays and intercedes for us, but also is able to hold our right hand and go through it with us. When our faith is being tested in that fire of affliction, He is there in the midst of it. When the storms of life are raging and the waves and billows would have swallowed us up, He comes walking on the water and bids us to come walk with Him, as He utters “peace be still”. He is not a God afar off, but He is very present with us.
When the Apostle John wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he notes that “His feet were like brass [as if tried by fire]” (Revelation 2:18). He went through it. When our hearts were wounded, and bodies bearing scars of our sicknesses, we see the same scars on Jesus. He endured the pain, the chastisement, the bruising, the whippings, so that He could be touched by the feelings of our weakness.
Why? So He could be our faithful High Priest, Who ever lives to make intercession for us. He is not just cheering us on from afar, He is taking our hand and experiencing life’s storms with us and still bringing us safely to our haven of rest. So thankful to Him for being everything I need. ~ Rev. Anna B.
