Peace That Enters the Storm

Photo by Jean-Pierre Brungs on Unsplash

In spiritual circles, we often speak of peace as a state of inner tranquility—a quiet haven untouched by the chaos of the world. Meditation, prayer, affirmations—these are our tools to cultivate this precious sense of serenity. We are taught to “go within,” to retreat from the noise, and to center ourselves in the calm assurance that all is well. We are told that if we practice and work hard enough at it, all the chaos and hustle will melt away.

Sounds good, right? Who among us doesn’t want to escape the hustle and noise?

Now, cultivating inner strength, resilience, and affirming our wholeness is vital to mental and spiritual health—but the commercialization of spirituality has sold us a lie. It has promised that if we work hard enough at these spiritual practices, we will achieve a level of mastery or skill that will provide a peace of mind beyond the chaos of today’s world.

Peace as refuge is important. Self-care in the midst of today’s storm is vital. But neither peace nor self-care can afford to be commercialized at the expense of our collective liberation.

True peace is not only a refuge but a force. Peace is not the absence of the storm but the strength to walk into it without losing our center.

Consider the story of Peter, the disciple who stepped out of the boat in the midst of a raging storm because he saw Jesus walking on the water. As long as Peter kept his eyes on the Christ—on the embodiment of divine peace—he too walked on the waves. But when his focus shifted to the wind and the waves, fear overtook him, and he began to sink.

This story is a profound metaphor for our own spiritual journey. Peace is not simply what we find in the quiet of our meditation; it is what we carry with us into the turbulent waters of life. It is the steady ground beneath our feet even when the world around us seems to be sinking.

In spiritual awakening, we often believe that we must rise above the world, ascending to some enlightened state beyond the reach of suffering. But true spiritual mastery is not about escaping the storm; it is about bringing peace into it. It is about raising our voice, speaking our truth, and standing in our spiritual principles even when the wind is fierce and the waves are high.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. warned us against a “negative peace which is the absence of tension” rather than a “positive peace which is the presence of justice.” True peace is not passive—it is active, courageous, and often disruptive. It does not ignore the suffering of the world but steps directly into it with love, truth, and unwavering resolve.

Jesus did not avoid the storm. He entered it. And Peter’s lesson was not simply to have faith, but to learn that peace is an active force within himself.

We must learn the kind of peace as presence we bring with us.

Do you have enough inner peace to walk into the storms and injustices of the world today? Can you walk into the US Capitol and demand a moral budget, like Rev. Dr. William Barber? Can you walk into a town hall and demand that your representatives push back on the attacks against marginalized communities?

Our collective liberation depends on each of us investing enough time in the inner spiritual practices that bring a sense of peace, wholeness, and strength—not so that we can merely withstand the raging storms of injustice, but so that we may enter them with purpose. Bringing with us the peace that speaks truth to power, the peace that knows what we do to the least of these, we do to all.

So, as we seek peace, let us not make it a private escape. Let us be peacemakers who walk into the chaos of the world, anchored in the divine truth we carry within. Peace is not the absence of the storm—it is the courage to stand in it without losing ourselves.

I am a vessel of peace, not because I avoid the storm, but because I enter it with courage, clarity, and divine strength. I bring calm where there is chaos and truth where there is confusion. I am the presence of peace in every storm.

Rev. David Alexander D.D. is the spiritual director of the of Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, author of Freedom from Discord: The Promise of New Thought Liberation Theology and Recovery from the Lie of Whiteness. David writes a monthly column, Philosophy In Action in Science of Mind Magazine.