Here is an excerpt from my favorite chapter in my new book “Fierce Peace.”
Jesus exemplified what it looked like to live in peace—not while everything was going perfect on the outside. He was found sleeping while there was a raging storm threatening their lives on a boat filling with water. It wasn’t irresponsibility, it was trusting in His Father who is above the storm. In every storm of life, we can choose to draw from the raging storm or the resting Lord.

— 4 —

Fiercer than the Storm

You only have authority over the storm you can sleep in.
—Bill Johnson

 A while ago, I was flying back home from a mission trip to the Philippines. It’s always exciting to see people come to Jesus and encounter His love. On the flight, we hit some kind of storm, and then came the turbulence. Heavy turbulence. I wish I could say I was God’s man of power for the hour and commanded the storm to cease…but that wasn’t the case. I was freaked out. I thought I was gonna die.

Meanwhile, my good friend was sitting next to me—in a deep sleep. As the turbulence lifted and dropped the plane, his head—mouth open—was bobbing to the beat of the bumpy ride…completely oblivious to the fact that we were all about to die! I can still see the scene replaying in my head.

I may be exaggerating a little bit—we’re all alive today—but the fact remains that we were both on the same plane, going to the same place, except, while one of us was freaking out in fear, the other one was peacefully resting in a deep sleep. He was so deep in sleep that the turbulence didn’t disturb him. Sound familiar?

Jesus and His disciples had a similar experience—except not in the air, stuck in a metal tube flying through a typhoon. They were on a boat in the middle of a life-threatening storm. Not sure which is worse. The good news is peace was found in both.

That same day, after it grew dark, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” Leaving the crowd behind, the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats sailed with them. Suddenly, as they were crossing the lake, a ferocious storm arose, with violent winds and waves that were crashing into the boat until it was nearly swamped. But Jesus was calmly sleeping in the stern, resting on a cushion.
—Mark 4:35–38 TPT

Sometimes the way we picture peace is looking out over a calm lake, reclining back during the sunset while the kids are getting along quite nicely. While I don’t disagree with this image, I think it’s more relevant to picture peace as what we see above: Jesus sleeping in a boat in the middle of a life-threatening storm. It’s what we’ve been saying all along: Peace is an inner reality that is unshaken by outward circumstances. Jesus demonstrated what peace looks like and leads us by example.

Sleeping in the Storm

The one thing Jesus said to His disciples before they got in the boat was, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” He planned on getting to the other side. We could say it like this: They had a word from God that they were getting to the other side of the lake.

Then Jesus fell asleep. Why? To put it practically, He was tired. Charles Spurgeon said it like this: “Christ was weary and worn; and when anyone is exhausted, it is his duty to go to sleep if he can. The Saviour must be up again in the morning, preaching and working miracles, and if He does not sleep, He will not be fit for His holy duty; it is incumbent upon Him to keep Himself in trim for His service.”[i] We glorify God best when we’re in rest.

To the point: Jesus slept because He trusted God. He slept in the stern on a pillow and left the helm to His Father. That’s not apprehensively sleeping with one eye open hoping that the disciples will potentially steer the ship to safety. That’s full on going into a deep sleep—finding a quiet place in the back of the boat, away from the steering wheel, relinquishing control to the Father, and grabbing a cushion to rest your head on. Jesus rested because He trusted His Father who was in charge of it all.

He knew His Father would get them to the other side. “We’ll be fine…Abba is taking care of us…I’m tired, I’m going to sleep.” He had full confidence in His Father—which is where rest comes from. He was able to sleep because He was in rest—not just a physical rest, but a rest in His soul. He was living from the higher reality of the Father’s love and protection. That’s rest. How do you sleep in the storm? Do what Jesus did.

When the circumstance changed (i.e., the storm), it didn’t change His rest because the storm wasn’t managing His peace—the Father was; and He is peace. On the inside, He was still resting by the still waters, while on the outside the storm raged on. The storm clouds may have covered the sky, but the sun was still shining above the clouds.

Rest is directly connected to who you believe is in charge and how you view them. I remember having the hardest time sleeping in the car on a road trip I did with some friends in my late teens. I really didn’t trust the other dudes driving! When they had the steering wheel, technically they were in charge, but the problem was they were young, immature, driving 100 mph, and one of the guys just didn’t seem to care much. It just felt a bit reckless. My rest was definitely spotty, and I opted to drive most of the time. But Jesus trusted God and knew He was in charge—and knew He was good and trustworthy. Therefore, He could fully rest. We would do well to follow His example.

I was meditating in prayer one day on the sea of glass like crystal found before the throne of God (Rev. 4:6). To me, it’s reminiscent of the still waters that David rested by in Psalm 23:2. It represents peace. What struck me, though, was that there is lightning and thundering proceeding out of the throne. I’d imagine that any type of sea would be shaken up with that kind of power and rumbling so close to it!

God said that He would shake everything that can be shaken (Heb. 12:27–28). Yet that’s exactly it—His peace cannot be shaken. It’s a prophetic parable illustrating the unshakeable nature of His peace. We know the rumbling from the throne is good. It’s coming from His throne! But in regard to any type of shaking going on in our lives, His peace remains unshakeable.

This is a peace that is stronger than the storm. This is what Jesus slept in. Rest was His defense against the storm—and it can be yours too.

Manage Your Heart

Note that it wasn’t the storm that shook Jesus awake, it was His disciples. “So they shook him awake, saying, ‘Teacher, don’t you even care that we are all about to die!’” (Mark 4:39 TPT).

The storm around them became the storm inside them. And whenever the storm around you becomes the storm within you, it distorts your perception of reality. It affected how they saw God—they accused Jesus of not caring. It affected how they saw themselves—they believed they were going to die. It affected how they saw their circumstances—they saw it as the end. If you were there, you may have heard them say, “We’re dying over here and You’re sleeping?!”

To reiterate what was said in Chapter 2, whoever holds the narrative in your life holds your perception of reality. And out of that—your functionality, and ultimately your destiny. The disciples let the storm hold the narrative. Don’t let the storm hold the narrative!

We need to calm the storm inside of us so we can handle the storms around us. Proverbs 18:14 says it like this: “The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?” (NIV). In other words, it’s what’s going on in the inside that matters. If you can manage your inner world, you can handle what goes on in the “outer” world.

Today, we’ve been bombarded by all kinds of “storms” trying to hinder the word and work of God in our lives. From politics, raging injustice, news media outlets to health issues, mental health issues, relational and financial issues. Then there are the inner storms of a lack of value for ourselves, condemnation, shame, and fear. For example, if you don’t believe in yourself and what God says about you, then it doesn’t matter what life throws at you; you will always feel inadequate to handle it.

We need the greater narrative of God’s Word to uphold us.

Years ago, a prominent healing minister came to my city to do a healing and impartation conference. Surprise, surprise—not everyone enjoys the full gospel of Jesus; the Jesus who supernaturally saves, heals, and delivers. So, some demonstrators came and protested outside of the church where the conference was being held.

On our way in, I caught wind of what one of the protesters was saying. I didn’t agree and decided I’d speak my mind. Not the best choice. We got into a bit of an argument, and I felt like a guard dog when an intruder comes around. You know, when the hair on their spine stands up and they’re walking on edge. My adrenaline was pumping.

I realized I let his critical and argumentative spirit stir up the still waters in me and cause a storm of fleshly anger. I should’ve slept on that storm and moved right along. Instead, I let his storm make a storm in me.

Jesus said this: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV). Sleep on the storms and rest in the Lord. Don’t let the storms around you become the storms inside you.

[i] Abide in Christ, “Jesus Asleep on a Pillow by C. H. Spurgeon”, accessed Jan. 13, 2022, http://www.asermon.com/books/spurgeon-tilhecome-jesusasleep.html
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I hope you enjoyed that excerpt! There’s so much more to say and glean from what Jesus exemplified about peace. His peace is truly stronger than the storm. You can grab your copy of “Fierce Peace” by clicking the button below!

Question: How does Jesus’ sleep speak to you about walking in peace? Comment below!