Peace in the midst of crisis

He will cover us with his feathers, and under his wings we find refuge. (Psalm 91:4)

I have been meaning to tell you how believing in the unconditional love of Jesus will help a person find deep inner peace. A peace that is hard to understand if they’ve never experienced it. I was going to tell you how having such peace can help you cope with the kind of crisis Rohingya are experiencing.

But . . . you are probably wondering how you can develop such peace.

I want to tell you that it’s simply by understanding and believing in the depth of Jesus’ great love for you that your mind and spirit will come to rest.

But . . . how can you develop that belief in Jesus’ great love?

I believe that if you were to read the stories that are told about Jesus in the Bible and the many things he said,  you might very well find the peace he offers. You will learn how compassionate he is, especially towards people who have been rejected by the world. In the midst of this great crisis you’re experiencing you will hear of this good person who accepted and deeply loved people. You will see that he loves you and your people in the same way.

Now, getting back to the “but” I started off with:

But . . . when you’re in the midst of a crisis, is such peace available to you? How can you possibly find such peace when what you are experiencing is the direct opposite? When there is so much hardship. When so much of who you were as a Rohingya people has been taken from you. When the whole world is ignoring you and your needs. When you have no place you can call your own.

What then?

In my much smaller way, I too have experienced tragedies of my own. And I have come to realize that when my brain is a jumble of confusion and  when I’m afraid because I don’t have control over what’s happening, it’s very hard to access God’s peace. When my mind doesn’t work the way it should, it has a hard time co-operating enough to allow the fullness of God’s peace to settle.

As hard as it sometimes seems, I do continue trying to reach out to Jesus. I know that I need him and do my best to focus on him in spite of the bad things flying around in my head. I think about him and I talk to him. I ask for his help to find the strength I need to return to normal life. I try to place my trust in him. “I know you love me, Jesus, and that you’ll never stop loving me. Please give me the peace I so badly need.”

.  . . and, as David’s words promise, I find that: He will cover [me] with his feathers, and under his wings [I] find refuge. (Psalm 91:4)

I find his peace.