How Peace and Glory Connect

Have you ever been in a storm and needed to find shelter? A couple of summers ago, we took our kids to Italy on their first trans-Atlantic trip. We were on a boat tour on a beautiful summer day outside of Portofino. We stopped for lunch at a small coastal village when suddenly, out of nowhere, a storm hit. We were outside, totally unprepared, and there was nowhere for us to go. So we split up all over the cobblestone street, forcing ourselves under the little nooks and awnings—anywhere we could fit. Despite our efforts, we were all soaked by the time the storm passed. There was no protection from that storm, and we felt the effects of it.

And just like that sudden downpour in Italy, life has storms of its own—moments that hit without warning, leave us exposed, and make us scramble for shelter. Unlike that village, where protection was scarce, God offers us a refuge that never fails. This is where the connection between peace and glory—God’s manifest presence—comes alive.

God’s Glory Brings His Peace

In life, God’s presence is our refuge in the storm, and the by-product of God’s presence is His peace. This is not a peace that means the storm disappears. We don’t have to be around very long to see that there will always be something—a leak in the roof, the dog barking at 4 a.m., a relational rift, a health challenge. Our lives are full of “somethings.” Rather, the peace that God gives is special, its transcendent. The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to the Philippian church:

“…the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Based on Paul’s description, God’s peace is not reliant on circumstances—not even reliant on our understanding. It “transcends” our understanding. This means it goes beyond the range or limits of what we can grasp with our minds. You could compare it to the deep, deep quiet of the ocean floor while wind and waves rage above the surface of the waters. When our circumstances rage, our relationships face tension, or our finances sound blaring alarms, God’spresence—His glory—can give us a peace that goes beyond it all. This became a very real lived experience for us in 2020, when my husband and I faced one of the greatest storms yet in Christian lives.

God’s Glory Is a Shelter in the Storm

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.” — Proverbs 18:10
This verse held tangible value for me that year. In March, we closed on our first house in Tempe, Arizona, and agreed to take on a multi-thousand-dollar-a-month mortgage. Just two weeks later, all our revenue, all our income, completely dried up, with every one of my husband’s upcoming projects being cancelled as the world went into COVID lockdown. We were shocked, almost to the point of laughter. What terrible timing. What would we do? We were completely derailed from the plan we thought God was fashioning—no income, no foreseeable work, and no idea when, how or if life as we knew it would resume. It felt like our future was closing in on us.

It was Proverbs 18:10 that God used to strengthen my heart and carry me through that storm. In the early mornings, as I tried to rally my attitude for another stressful day of unpacking our life in a house we might lose, homeschooling stir-crazy children, and watching my husband refresh his email for hours looking for work, I felt the pressure could crush me. I caught hold of this verse and began envisioning myself running into the tower of Christ. This storm was crazy, uncertain, high-pressure, and discouraging. I could spend all day stewing in that anxiety—or I could run and get into Christ. And the promise from God was that I would be safe there.

Day in and day out, sometimes hourly, I took the promise in like medicine. I would say—“I’m in Christ. God, You said Your name is a strong tower, the righteous run to You and are safe. I run into the strong tower that is Jesus right now. Thank You that You promised that here, I am safe.” I didn’t do this once. I clung to this daily. Sometimes multiple times a day. As the pressure mounted and the pain of uncertainty loomed, I would stop in the middle of whatever I was doing and open my mouth, declaring what His Word says. This wasn’t just a nice exercise I did—it was survival. This became my hideout in the storm. It was my meeting place with the presence and glory of God. Some days, it felt like I was barely escaping a tsunami. Other days, I could actually look out the window of that tower and see the violence of the wind and waves wreaking havoc around my life. I would look in amazement at how long it was going on and how bad it was getting—yet I felt a transcendent peace and a steady awareness that my family and I were safe inside.

When we run to a refuge in a storm, we aren’t magically removed from it. The storm continues, but the effects of it no longer touch us because the shelter we are in takes on the brunt of the elements. Likewise, when we run and hide in Christ, we can be in a storm and still experience the transcendent peace that Paul promises us.

Time passed, and work eventually came through, and that particular storm ended. Miraculously, we saw God provide for us every single month the storm raged on – somehow, we never missed a mortgage payment! But the greatest gain wasn’t financial—it was the unshakable awareness that where His presence is, His peace always is too.

God’s Glory Is Available Right Now

When storms come into your life, remember that where God’s glory is (His manifest presence), there His peace is. And it is important that we don’t wait for circumstances to change before accessing that peace. Jesus never promised us a stress-free life. In fact, He guaranteed we would have trouble and difficulty. In John 16:33, Jesus says,

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What a challenging truth paired with a beautiful promise. There will be trouble in life. Becoming a Christian doesn’t grant a trouble-free existence—but Jesus has overcome the world. If you’re stuck waiting for peace until the storm ends, you’re missing out on the transcendent peace of God’s glory, available now. Revisit the promise above—will you have trouble? Yes. But you have immediate access to the overcoming power of Christ.

Today, He wants you to experience the peace that transcends understanding. Now is the time to stop holding your breath until the storm passes. Let the storm propel you into the presence of God, into the strong tower that is Jesus. There, His presence will meet you, His peace will shelter you, and He will carry you through.