Page 12 - Lenten Devotional 2021 updated 01-21

Day 1 - Peace Be Still…

Scripture:
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious
storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was
sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going
to drown!’ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got
up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men
were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the
waves obey him!”
Matthew 8:23-27

Reflection:
Shortly after my father passed away, my mother was in a restaurant where she
fainted. Thankfully, my sister was with her. She called both me and my sister,
Michele – we were at work. My initial reaction was to panic. I thought to myself,
“I just lost my dad and now my mother?”
Michele and I rode together to the hospital. The only thing I could think to do
was pray. Michele was a wreck. So, I began to pray while driving on the
highway. Immediately, there was a sense of peace that washed all over me.

I thought about Jesus when He calmed the raging sea. In Matthew 8, Jesus said
to the wind, “Silence!” and he told the sea to quiet down. My emotions and
thoughts were just like that storm and sea. But as soon as I called on the name of
Jesus, immediately, everything calmed down. When we arrived at the hospital,
the doctors explained to my sisters and me that my mother had not eaten anything
and her sugar had dropped causing her to faint. Once they got some fluids and
food in her, my mother was fine.

We serve a God who can calm the raging sea by simply commanding it to be
still…...Peace be still!

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the peace that you give us. We know that we can
call on Your name and You send us peace. Just like You commanded the raging
sea to calm down by simply saying, “Peace, be still”, You are able to calm the
raging sea vexing my soul. Thank you Lord and Amen!

About the Contributor:

Min. Monica Montgomery, Minister of Music; Minister to the Youth and
Young Adults, Mount Zion – Severn A.M.E.

A 40-day Journey through a Season of Fasting and Praying 16