Worry erodes faith, it erodes courage, and it erodes our energy. I believe that one of the greatest hallmarks of living without anxiety and fear is our ability to relax. In fact, relaxation is one of the best fruits of being a follower of Jesus; it’s the fruit of faithfulness and the fruit of faith. When we trust the Lord with our past, present, and future, even if our current situation is bad, we are at rest because we know that in Him, all things will ultimately work together for our good.

When Jesus slept through the storm while His disciples thought they were going to die, He was demonstrating to us what it means to be relaxed in the knowledge of His Sovereignty. Since He told them at the start, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake,” He had already declared where they would end up. However, because the disciples weren’t yet fully convinced of His power and deity, they freaked out when the storm arose. Since they didn’t understand that He had the power to command the wind and the waves, they thought He was crazy for relaxing through such a tempest.

Friend, because the same Jesus that calmed the wind and waves lives inside of you, you too can relax in any kind of weather. Even in the midst of the strongest storm, you can be at peace because you have His Presence abiding with you. Since He knows the beginning from the end, there is no circumstance that He can’t redeem or pit that He can’t pull you from. You don’t need to worry because He has you; He knows the number of your days and He will safely see you through every valley until your life has reached its fullness! Isn’t that wonderful news?