Amen, Brother Beacon and Sister Dorine! Thank you, Brother Beacon, for sharing your testimony of what it was like to be flying, experience a wave of fear, and then find deliverance through prayer and trusting in Jesus!
As in imagination I grasp the scene afresh in which Jesus stilled the storm by His word of faith in the Father's care, "Peace, be still," I am reminded that His word is a more powerful agency in stilling the storms of my life and character than any amount of my own trying to find peace apart from Him. Christ "is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). In Him not only does my soul find rest, but I need not be in fear about any circumstance of my life, because Christ has promised to work in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure as I surrender (and keep surrendering) the whole heart to Him. Christ's disciples experience of fear was a spiritual "check up" that revealed to them how much more healing Christ needed to do in them (emotionally, spiritually, and in terms of their character development). And again when the disciples were terrified of the demoniacs, their character was seen for what it was, and their continual need of His grace was revealed to them. I am thankful that God leads us through situations in life that allow us to see the areas of our character where we are tempted not to trust Him, so that we can replace those experiences of our past with the words of His truth, and the truth sets us free! Rather than approaching what would be seemingly fearful situations with fear, when our inner being is abiding in Christ and healed by His divine grace, we can awake in the midst of storms and trials in the peace that passes understanding, knowing that if God has led us to that point in our experience, He has a way prepared to bring relief! As we unlearn fear and self-dependence, trusting Jesus become the habituation orientation of our thoughts, feelings, and actions so that in our day-to-day lives we are revealing the power of His grace in some of the greatest trials--thus preparing us for the greater trials ahead as from glory to glory, from character to character, we are becoming more like Jesus!!
"As Jesus rested by faith in the Father's care, so we are to rest in the care of our Saviour. If the disciples had trusted in Him, they would have been kept in peace. Their fear in the time of danger revealed their unbelief. In their efforts to save themselves, they forgot Jesus; and it was only when, in despair of self-dependence, they turned to Him that He could give them help." {The Desire of Ages, page 336, paragraph 2}
The more I see my need of God's grace to keep me from fear, unbelief, doubt, and any of the other "waves" of the fallen nature, I am reminded of how peaceful, happy, and obedient my experience becomes through abiding in Jesus (with a new heart and mind filled with all of the fruits of the Spirit so not one of those traits is missing). As I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, who knows how in every emergency to bring relief in the way that will be to His glory and my eternal joy, I am given day by day a fresh, living testimony to share with others as God opens the way!