Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
1 21 2026
Peace at the Bow of the Boat
A reminder, Courageous Men’s Group begins in two weeks. Every Tuesday starting Febr 2ND
from 7pm to 8:30 in the lobby of Grace Family Church, Land O Lake. It will change your year and your life.
During worship on Sunday, I saw Jesus standing at the bow of the boat, arms outstretched.
The howling wind stopped.
The fury of the rain ceased instantly.
And peace filled the air—and every heart.
I could see where the iconic picture of the Titanic came from.
My mind went immediately to those men on the Sea of Galilee.
Seasoned men.
Fishermen.
Professionals who knew storms.
Yet this storm broke them.
Scripture says they woke Jesus and cried out,
“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)
Not, “Lord, we trust You.”
Not, “We know You’ve got this.”
But raw fear: Do You even care?
And if we’re honest—how many of us have had that same conversation with the sovereign God of the universe?
Are You There Today or Was it Just Yesterday?
Was this last year one you’d rather forget and move on from?
Did you wait as long as you could before praying…hoping it would fix itself?
We treat a new year like it automatically resets. (We know it doesn’t)
I imagine those men bailing water, shouting over the wind, exchanging glances…
“We’ve handled worse.”
Until they couldn’t.
We all know that place.
That place where you think, if I pray any deeper, my insides will spill out.
That place where the prayer sounds like,
“Lord… are You there?”
And the answer…hear me…is YES.
He Is More Than Able
Jesus stood and rebuked the storm, saying,
“Peace. Be still.”
And the sea obeyed Him. (Mark 4:39)
This is not the hour to go weak at the knees,
unless you’re going all the way down.
Because knees bent in surrender are not weakness.
They’re worship.
I could have named this Waking Jesus in the Storm.
But the real message is – There is Peace at the Bow of the Boat.
Jesus is not just peaceful.
He IS peace. (Ephesians 2:14)
And if you trust Him,
you will walk in Him
and you will walk in peace.
No matter how high the waves rise.
No matter how violently the billows roar.
He is in the boat with you.
Scripture tells us to offer a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).
These are Offerings That Costs You
Not praise when it’s easy.
Not worship when the storm lifts.
But praise that costs something.
Offer Him:
- your loneliness
- your long-standing fatigue
- your disappointment
- your unanswered questions and prayers
Let it rise like incense…
a sweet aroma born not of comfort, but of trust.
That offering has a name.
It’s called surrender.
It’s called obedience.
It’s called trusting the character of the living God.
I Personally Know About Storms
I know about mistakes.
I know about a bad string of events
one blow after another, chopping at the knees, trying to take me down.
But stop.
Lift up your eyes.
Not positive thinking.
Not motivational self-talk.
Lift your eyes to the Master.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills…where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1–2)
We need to double down on faith right here!
God has a reason.
We may not know it.
But we can surrender what we’re carrying.
When pain is laid at His feet,
it becomes worship.
Wow, doesn’t that realization make your load lighter?
Even If…
Jesus Himself prayed, Even IF
“Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me—yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
Sweat like drops of blood.
Anguish fully expressed.
Obedience fully surrendered.
And Scripture says,
“For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Did you know it’s okay to pour out your pain to God?
Your grief.
Your anger.
Your lament.
God doesn’t want a filtered version of you.
He wants all of you.
“The righteous fall seven times and rise again.” (Proverbs 24:16)
And remember the words of the three Hebrew boys:
“Even if He does not save us… we will not bow.” (Daniel 3:18)
Even if.
He is still good.
He is still with us.
Peace at the Bow of Your Boat
Honestly, I’m in that place right now.
But this morning, I saw Jesus at the front of my boat
speaking peace.
That peace is for me.
And it is for you too.
But I must look at Him and to Him
not the rain.
Not the waves.
I must see the fire in His eyes,
the compassion in His heart,
the hand extended toward me…personally.
And see Him with outstretched arms at the Bow of My Boat!
And with Him comes joy.
More mercy.
More comfort.
More hope.
God is not only for you.
He believes in you.
Because it is He who has given you the Faith and Grace to move beyond the hurt.
So take the step today.
Surrender the failures.
The fear of future failures.
The weariness you’ve been carrying too long.
Offer it all to Him
as incense,
as worship,
as trust.
And hear Him say once more:
“Peace. Be still.”
For You!
Do you know someone who needs to hear this? Pass this lesson and future devotions to someone, with this Signup link: http://eepurl.com/i_nlb2 My website to view past devotions is https://fearlesslycourageous.com
Lauren Daigle – Noel
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