The Story Behind The Song | Calm in the Chaos

In Week 4 of The Story Behind The Song, Ray Slavens shares the deeply personal story behind the song "Wonderful Peace."  Inspired by the beloved hymn of the same name and his own lifelong journey with anxiety, this episode explores the difference between the peace the world offers and the peace only Christ can give.

Diagnosed with severe anxiety as a teenager, Ray opens up about the quiet battles many people never saw—the fear, the racing thoughts, and the search for peace through prayer, Scripture, worship, and moments of solitude. While following Jesus didn't remove every struggle, it taught him that God's peace isn't found in the absence of hardship, but in His faithful presence through it.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, discouraged, or wondered where to find peace in the middle of life's storms, this conversation is for you.

Because sometimes the greatest miracle isn't that God calms the storm...

It's that He calms our hearts while we walk through it.

🎧 Join us as we explore the story behind the song and the Savior who still offers "peace that surpasses all understanding." (Philippians 4:7)

We'd love to hear from you -- email us at ListenToShoesOff@gmail.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Shoes Off, a weekly podcast where we pause, take off what weighs us down, and take a step onto holy ground. You know, over the past couple weeks, we've talked about songs you write because you have something to say or there's a message, but some songs you write are because you actually lived through them or lived through the circumstance. And this is one of those songs. If you've listened to this podcast for a while, you probably heard me mention when I was young, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety as a teenager. It wasn't just the occasional worry. There were seasons where anxiety controlled my thoughts, and I would say it's more in seasons. I would say almost every day anxiety controlled my thoughts, my emotions, sometimes even the simplest part of everyday life. And the one thing I want people to understand is this being a Christian doesn't mean that we are immune to those struggles. It didn't make me immune to those struggles. I love Jesus, I trusted his word, but I still wrestled. And this song was born from learning where real peace comes from. I would also try to open my Bible. There were times where we go fishing or sit by a lake just looking for God's peace. And eventually I realized something. Peace wasn't coming from the guitar. It wasn't coming from the lake or even the silence. I mean, those things helped me slow down and take my mind off the anxiety that was really overtaking my life. But the peace I needed came from the one who created them. John 14 and 27 says, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. But I do not give to you as the world gives. Jesus didn't promise us an easy life, but he did promise us peace. And I think we've talked about that in some of the podcasts that we've talked about before. But peace is different than quiet. I mean, for a long time, I thought peace meant everything around me had to settle down. I didn't want any stress, obviously, no anxiety, no uncertainty or worries, but life just doesn't work that way. Jesus often spoke about peace while his followers were facing storms or persecution or uncertainty. Biblical peace isn't the absence of chaos, it's confidence in God's presence despite the chaos. And here's the other thing I want to talk about, because anxiety is just so common. Anxiety doesn't mean your faith is weak. This is something I think Christians absolutely need to hear. Sometimes we quietly believe that if our faith was stronger, we'd never struggle from anxiety. And for many years I struggled with that because I thought, well, maybe I'm not a Christian if I have anxiety. But the scriptures filled with people who experienced fear, discouragement, overwhelming circumstances. I mean, if you think about David, he cried out in the Psalms. Elijah was exhausted and discouraged. Paul wrote about being burdened way beyond his strength. And struggling doesn't mean you failed, it means you're human. The question isn't whether you'll face anxiety or anxious moments. The question is, where will you turn when they come and when that time comes in your life? You know, God's peace often comes one day at a time. One verse in the song says, I'd open up my Bible and pray you would give to me. Looking back, I can't tell you that there was one dramatic moment when anxiety disappeared. Matter of fact, I still deal with it on a daily basis. But I can tell you that God was faithful every time. Sometimes his peace came through his word, sometimes it was through prayer, sometimes it was through worship, sometimes it was simply just remembering his promises, and often it was enough for you know the next step to my life. I mean, there was times where it was really hard, and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it. Anxiety and worry can make you feel different at times, and and people that haven't gone through that wouldn't understand it. But there was times I wouldn't even drive the highway. I would take the back roads and avoid it because anxiety just overcame my life. And even though I prayed and I read, it was just still so tough. And I'm I again, I'm just gonna be real that it is truly something that you can suffer from and deal with on a daily basis. But I do believe God's peace can overcome that and help us through those times. Philippians 4 verses 6 and 7, Paul doesn't say that believers will never face anxiety. He tells us what to do when we do experience or face anxiety. It says bring everything to God in prayer. And and then comes one of the most beautiful promises in the scripture. It says the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Notice it says guard. Peace doesn't always remove the battle, but sometimes it stands and guards over us in the middle of it. You know, looking back, I can't see what I couldn't see then. Another line in this song says, looking back now, I can finally see you were the peace that was carrying me. And when you're in the middle of anxiety, it's hard to recognize what God is doing. But looking back, I can actually see his faithfulness. There were countless moments when I thought I was holding on to him. In reality, he was holding on to me. And even today, I still have to guard my heart and mind. Anxiety isn't something I pretend never exists, it's part of my story. It doesn't define me, it doesn't define my story, but Jesus does. And if you're listening today and anxiety has become part of your stories too, I want you to know this. First, you're not alone and you're not a weak Christian, you're not forgotten by God. It's the same Savior who walked with me through those seasons that will also walk with you, also. So this week, when your anxiety or worry begins to rise, I want you to just pause before you react. Open your Bible, spend a few minutes in prayer, listen to a hymn or worship songs that remind you of God's character and who he is. Not because those things are magical, but it's because they will help redirect your heart toward the one who really gives true peace. I want to close in prayer. I normally don't do this, but I want to pray for you and for those that are struggling with anxiety, that God's peace would just rest upon your heart, and that this song would be a blessing to you. Father, thank you for being our peace. Thank you that your presence is greater than all of our fears and your promises are stronger than our doubts. For anyone listening today who's carrying anxiety or worry or burdens that just feel overwhelming right now, remind them that they don't carry those burdens alone. Guide God, our hearts and our minds with your peace. Help us trust you one day, one moment, one step at a time. In Jesus' name, amen. Enjoy this song, Calm Over Chaos.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Sometimes it's a quiet place with my Martin guitar, old hymns from the red book, being sung by a solo choir. Other times it's a fishing pole by quiet lake, sounds of birds in the air as the fog starts to break. But I've learned it ain't just the style, or the still on the stock and state. It's the trust in the whole you're the one giving me.