Speak peace

Since my childhood in Ogden, Utah, one of my favorite hymns has been Master, The Tempest Is Raging with lyrics by Mary Ann Baker and music by H.R. Palmer. When I was a child, what I loved about the music was the crescendos – the rise and fall in intensity – and the rise and fall of the musical notes that created a raging sea in my young mind. Exactly what the writers intended, I think. As an adult, I still love those things – the “tossing billows” in the music that are calmed and made peaceful by the Savior’s simple words: “Peace, peace, be still.”

As I was thinking about that hymn today, I realized again that while the hymn dramatizes a real event as described in Matthew 8:24-27 and Mark 4:36-41, it is nevertheless, a metaphor for the Savior’s concern and love for us and for his desire to succor us in our time of need.

The Savior’s disciples found themselves in the grip of an angry sea so powerful that they feared for their lives. As Matthew describes the miracle:

And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

And again, in Mark 4:36-41:

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Mark’s account is a bit more detailed. He tells us that the ship in which the Savior slept was full of water. The disciples were understandably fearful; the Savior was not. Probably they could not bail fast enough to keep up with the water coming over the bow of the ship. When He was awakened, He rebuked the sea and calmed it. He simply said: “Peace, be still.”

Modern scripture has revealed to us that Satan has control of the waters, but only at the forbearance of the Savior, who is the true God of this world.

D and C 61:19:

I, the Lord, have decreed, and the destroyer rideth upon the face thereof, and I revoke not the decree.

D and C 61:5-6:

For I, the Lord, have decreed in mine anger many destructions upon the waters; yea, and especially upon these waters. Nevertheless, all flesh is in mine hand, and he that is faithful among you shall not perish by the waters.

In the book, Church History and Modern Revelation, President Joseph Fielding Smith is quoted as follows:

"Notwithstanding the great power of Satan upon the waters, the Lord still held command, and he could protect his people whether on land or by water as they journeyed."

Elder LeGrand Richards related an example of such protection in the Conference Report of Apr. 1941, 84:

Over the years, it was considered as good as an insurance policy when a company of Latter-day Saints embarked on a vessel crossing the Atlantic. I recall reading in my grandfather's [Franklin D. Richards, an Apostle and president of the Quorum of the 12] diary of a time when the boat upon which he was sailing was in great jeopardy, so much so that the captain of the boat came to him and pleaded with him to intercede with the Lord in behalf of the boat and her passengers; and Grandfather, remembering that he had been promised that he should have power over the elements, walked out on the deck of the boat and raised his hands to high heaven and rebuked the sea and the waves, and they were immediately calmed, and the appreciation of the captain of the boat was so great that he offered him the use of his private quarters during the balance of the journey.

A cursory examination of the Savior’s miracle on the waters might give us the impression that the Master was irritated at being wakened from sleep when he was so tired, and He calmed the waters so he could go back to sleep. He was not concerned about perishing at sea, because He knew that Satan only had power over the waters insofar as he was given it by the Father and the Son. He arose and rebuked the waters (and Satan) not so he could sleep on, but so His disciples and each of us could understand the eternal truth that he can calm our troubled souls as easily as he calmed the waters if only we will let Him do so.

There is a tempest raging inside each of us. Each of us is tested and tried in ways that the Father and our Elder Brother see fit. Each of us must respond, often privately, (but not without help) to these tests and trials we are given. President Hinckley’s wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley said: “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

Each of us must eventually learn that the only real solace for any of the trials we face in this life comes through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He alone can say to the billows in our souls: “Peace, peace, be still.” The second verse of the hymn says:

Master, with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today. The depths of my sad heart are troubled. Oh, waken and save, I pray! Torrents of sin and of anguish Sweep o’er my sinking soul, And I perish! I perish! dear Master. Oh, hasten and take control!

The third verse speaks eloquently of the peace that can come to each of us if we will give control of our lives to the gospel and the Savior:

Master, the terror is over. The elements sweetly rest. Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored, And heaven’s within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more, And with joy I shall make the blest harbor And rest on the blissful shore.

The scriptures assure us of the Savior’s willingness to speak peace to our troubled hearts:
Psalms 85:8:

I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints…

Alma 58:11:

Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.

In D and C 6:23, speaking directly to Oliver Cowdery, the Lord said:

Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?

The Savior wants to “speak peace” to each of us. In those times when we are most beset by the tests and trials of this world, the only solace we can find will be, in the words of the hymn, when we can in humble prayer, say:

“…I perish! I perish! dear Master. Oh, hasten and take control!”

The third verse describes the calm “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” (Philippians 4:7) that we can feel as we seek and find the Savior’s love for us. Even though our trials may be many, and even though they may still beset us, we can find peace and comfort as we pray:

“Linger, O blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more,”