Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.
Proverbs 12:20
During 2026, Peachtree Church is inviting everyone into Cultivate, a churchwide discipleship plan centered on the fruit of the Spirit and the kind of life God longs to grow in us. Throughout the year, we’ll explore how love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take shape in everyday life through the Spirit’s work. Cultivate brings together worship, Scripture, group guides, and meaningful practices designed to meet you where you are and support growth in ways that fit your season. These twice-weekly devotionals are one way to stay connected, offering reflection and grounding for daily life with God. Whether you engage in many ways or just one, you’re invited to be part of this shared journey of becoming more rooted in who God has created and called you to be.
Devotional
There is a kind of peace that does not ignore the storm but meets it with gentle authority. In Mark 4, the storm is real, and the disciples are fully caught in its danger. Everything feels uncertain. And yet, in the middle of it all, Jesus is asleep. It is easy to assume he is unaware, but what if we pause and see this differently? What if he is not distant as we would initially think, but deeply at rest, abiding in a peace that is not shaken by what surrounds him?
We all navigate storms in life where everything feels unsettled. There are decisions to make and conversations that carry weight. Worry has a way of lingering, even keeping us awake at night. We move quickly, grasping forsolutions, as anxiety begins to rise. The storms around us can feel loud and, at times, painful. And yet, our Lord of peace is not distant; he is present, right in the middle of it with us.
When the disciples wake Jesus, their words carry both fear and doubt: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” It is a question we know how to ask. Jesus responds to the storm: “Quiet! Be still!”
This is not a negotiation. It is authority. The same voice that spoke creation into being now speaks again, and the wind and waves obey. We are reminded that Christ reigns over all, even the chaotic storms in our lives.
Then he turns to his disciples, not with shame, but with invitation: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Faith here is not the absence of fear. It is the growing awareness of who is in the boat with us.
Peace is not something we manufacture. It is something we receive. It is given to us by the One who holds all things together, who speaks into the disorder of our lives and brings stillness. The peace Proverbs speaks of is not tied to circumstances going our way. It is rooted in a steady confidence that the One who commands the seas is with us.
For Reflection
- Where am I looking for peace outside of his presence?
- Where am I assuming I have been left alone in the storm?
- What truth can I tell myself to remember God is with me?
Prayer
Lord, you are the One who speaks, and the storm is stilled.
Forgive me for the ways I assume you are distant when life feels uncertain.
Teach me to trust your presence more than I fear what surrounds me.
Quiet what feels unsettled within me and anchor me again in your care.
In Jesus name, Amen.
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Devotionals