All is Well

“My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ your face, Lord, I will seek.”

Psalm 27:8

Sometimes a good story says it all, like this one by Robert Louis Stevenson. The scene? A raging storm at sea. The story? The passengers in the ship became alarmed when the waves began to crash over the bow. Many of them thought for certain that the end had come.

Finally one passenger—against order—crept up on deck where the pilot was steering the churning vessel. There the pilot stood, strapped tightly to the wheel. He caught sight of the terror-stricken man and gave him a reassuring smile. At that point, the passenger backed down the steps, entered the hold of the ship, and announced to the others, “I have seen the face of the pilot and he smiled at me. All is well.”

This story perfectly captures what our pilot is doing when powerful waves of trials crash around us. Oh, if we would only seek the reassuring smile of God, we would be calmed. He knows the way through the waves.

When the Spirit of Christ whispers to your troubled heart, “Seek his face,” don’t delay. This is what is called a prompting or a nudging of the Spirit. He is telling you what to do. Immediately say to him in prayerful response, “Yes, Lord, I will seek you.” And then, do just that: Seek him in his word through prayer. The peace that surpasses all understanding will be yours when you hear him whisper, in return, “All is well.”

Lord, help me to listen when your Spirit reminds me to seek your face during times of trouble. Too often I’ve failed to listen to your promptings. I know that you are the source of calm and peace in the midst of my trials. I praise you today for your smile that reminds me, “All is well.”