Peace in the Midst of My Storm: A Devotional Analysis of My Original Painting

I have a painting hanging in my office at work. It is a piece that is very personal and a gentle reminder to me when my job gets hectic and seems like too much to handle… which happens to be every day, it often seems.

It’s fun to see what kind of reactions it gets when people see it. Some look at it and are perplexed, trying to make sense of it. I have had others say that it is very dark. Some look at it for a few minutes and are encouraged by its message. But I am more concerned about what it means for me.

Here is a picture of the painting. I'm sorry that this does not do it justice:

Before I explain the circumstances under which the work was created, I want to explain what you would be able to see if you were looking at it in person.

When you look at the collage, you will see that much of it is very dark. The storm clouds have gathered and are releasing their fury on the landscape and farmhouse below. Lightning strikes not far away. Yet, in the middle of all the fear and uncertainty is a distinct clearing. The sky is a clear blue, not black. The sun is shining through the clouds instead of being hidden. There is a portrait of me, standing there in the clearing, among the golden grass. There is no threat. There is no danger in this clearing.  

Step a little bit closer, and you will see what this piece is composed of. The beauty of a collage is that it is meant to be “read,” not merely “looked at.” There is far more depth to it than what originally meets the eye.

In the middle of the storm you will see many different newspaper clippings, antique portraits, and book pages swirling around. Almost all of these images are troubling as you read through them. These portraits and excerpts represent decades from the 1800’s to the present. You will see articles and figures representing wall street anxiety. You will see headlines showing budget troubles, a fatal home invasion, possible corruption, closings, and a tornado that damaged a city in Connecticut. You will also see articles about a fatal farm accident, an obituary, a mother of a missing child who pleads guilty of neglect. There is also a page from a children’s book from the 1800’s that tells a short story of a sailor boy who returns home to find his family and friends dead and gone.

Not too much fun to ponder what is going on in this storm. But don’t forget… there is a clearing!

Woven throughout the painting are the words of a WILDS song called Peace in the Midst of My Storm by Lori Canaday. The song says,

When my way seems so dim and unclear,
Jesus I'm glad I know you are near.
Weary and worn from this life I live.
I long for the peace that you give.

Peace in the midst of my storm,
Peace in the midst of my storm,
Draw me close to Thyself Oh Lord,
and give me peace in the midst of my storm.

This collage and these truths will mean different things for different people. I created this during a time in my life where I was struck by the peace that God gives. But more on that in a moment.

At this particular time of my life I was struck by how awesome my Savior is! He is in control! His desire is for us to have peace in our lives! In fact, He is known as the Prince of Peace! In John 16:33, during an intimate talk with His disciples, Christ laid out what was going to happen to Him in the very near future. And it wasn’t good news. It meant trials. It meant much tribulation. But Jesus hit them with a confident statement that should shake every one of us: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus’ message to his disciples said, “Yeah, life is going to be difficult. A storm is coming. But you have no reason to fear the problems of this world. Why? Because… I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” What power! What strength! That’s MY God!

We are also told about the peace that He gives us in Philippians 4:6-7. I have this passage taped to my computer monitor in my office at work: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

A peace that is so wonderful that it doesn’t even make sense? Yeah, I’ll take some of that!

This truth of God’s peace hit me during a very difficult time. My wife and I were recently married, and… wait. That sounds bad. Let me start over:

EVEN THOUGH my wife and I were enjoying life as newlyweds, it was a very stressful time financially. We were broke. All the job opportunities we had before marriage had fallen through, and we were both unemployed for the first 9 months of our marriage. We had some money saved up, but that began to dwindle. We had to live from day to day, not knowing where the next small job or check would come from. There was virtually no room for pleasures and things that we didn’t need. It was tough. It seemed that we had to save up for months for anything that cost over $50. I was stressed. I was tired. I was discouraged… I was always worried. Not only did I have to provide for my own needs, but I had to make sure my new wife was provided for too.

Life felt like a storm spinning out of control. Eventually, I found that if I wanted peace in my life, I had to acknowledge that the only constant is God... and I needed to live in the kind of peace that only He can provide. During those times, I learned to become very thankful for the relationship I had with Him. I knew that even though I couldn’t make sense of things, He knew what he was doing.

The only way I could express my revelation and reverence was through art. Through this painting you see my testimony. Even though my life was a storm of worry and fear, I had the protection of God's peace.

We get too worried. But we can't fix the fact that there will be problems. No matter where you go in this world... you are still in this world. Problems are going to exist. Live in the peace that only God can give.     

I serve an awesome Savior. He is the same person who merely spoke, “Peace. Be still," and the storm obeyed him!

In the collage, hundreds of troubling words swirl around in the storm, but they stand in sharp contrast with the simplicity of one command. You will see only 4 words in the clearing. The words come from the classic hymn, “Master the Tempest is Raging,”  by Mary Ann Baker. She based these words on the very words of Jesus:

 "Peace... peace... be still."