The Eye of the Storm
Inspirational Messages
By Dr. James Perry
Greetings and good morning brothers and sisters This is Dr. James Perry continuing with our series
where we seek to explore the deeer meanings of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Over the years,
the heavenly Father has revealed many revelations of spiritual truth to me, and I want to share them
with you. This morning we seek to understand the meaning of being in the eye of the storm.
And now, sit back and listen to today's message.
The Eye of the Storm
"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus." Phillipians, Chapter 4, Verse 7.
Brothers and sisters, in today's broadcast, we shall examine the values and the meanings of the
storms of life. We shall portray the technique as well as the barriers that prevent us from enjoying
peace in the midst of turmoil, as well as the power for doing so. In our discussion we shall use a
material analogy to help us to grasp the spiritual values and meanings associated with the stimulus
of the storms of life.
"A hurricane is a powerful, whirling storm that measures 200 to 300 miles in diameter. The winds
near the center of a hurricane blow at speeds of 74 miles per hour or more. Many hurricanes have
caused widespread death and destruction. They develop from easterly waves. These long narrow
regions of low pressure occur in ocean winds called trade winds. Easterly waves may grow into a
tropical depression with winds up to 31 miles per hours; then into a tropical storms, with winds of
up to 74 miles per hours; and finally into a hurricane. Hurricane winds swirl around the eye of a calm
area in the center of the storm. The eye of a hurricane measures about 20 miles in diameter and has
few winds or clouds. Storm clouds called wall clouds surround the eye. The strongest winds and
heaviest rains of the hurricane occur within its wall clouds."*
Now there are many features of life similar to the phenomenon of an hurricane. And we shall as far
as possible examine them. As we live this life, we come under many stressful situations that vary
from uneasiness to moderate discomfort to frank desperation. Now these emotional states are in
response to outside stimuli that upset what we like to refer to as our "normal" existence. Throughout
our lives there is always something upsetting going on, always something to adjust to, and we make
most of these adjustments without undue concern. But there are others that cause many a sleepless
night, that cause much suffering and pain.
The storms of life like the analogy above can begin with the normal waves of life that have
stimulation that raises our attention level: to in effect become temporary tropical depression of
anxiety and depression. These temporary stimulated waves of life may require us to review them,
to check them out, or reaffirm/confirm some situation. They do not last a long time relatively
speaking and they do not normally exhaust the resources that we have for coping with them. They
do cause us some concern. They may temporarily cause us to alter our "normal routine" but we soon
return to our everyday activities, unless these stimulated normal waves of tropical depression and
anxiety become further stimulated by some sustained conflict in our life and move to the next level,
the level of the tropical storms of life.
These tropical storms of life have greater depths of anxiety and depression. They stop our normal
routine, as we are forced to deal with them, and sometimes they require quite a bit of psychic energy.
They may cause us periods of fitful sleep, as our minds race trying to find some acceptable solutions.
They may cause us distractions in our normal activities, but we usually have the resources to deal
with them. But finally we come to the hurricanes of life. These monstrous disruptors transforms our
concerns, the mild anxieties, and depressions, and fitful sleep and distractions into full blown crises.
These hurricanes are serious and have led some to lose their minds and even their lives. These are
devastators of life and they always involve some permanent adjustments to life that must be made.
They may be the permanent loss of a job; a permanent disability, the death of a loved one, an
irreversible breach between a relationship such as a divorce, or permanent loss of a good friend, and
there are still others. But regardless of what form they may take, they prevent us from returning to
business as usual. We cannot face the winds of normality.
It is at such time we seek to enter the eye of the storm. But before we can enter therein, we must
penetrate the storm clouds of life--the wall clouds of doubt and despair that surround the eye. The
strongest winds of doubt and heaviest rains of the despair occur within its wall clouds of doubt and
despair. But how do we penetrate these walls and enter our minds and soul to the place of absolute
rest, security, peace, and quiet? How do we gain that assurance at such a time that despite our losses,
our deepest values will be protected? A skilled pilot flying a powerful airplane can penetrate the eye
of a material hurricane. It occurs all the time.
Although we cannot escape the march of material disaster throughout our brief lives, we do have the
power to enter the spiritual eye of these hurricanes. We do have to power to break through the raging
despair and doubt that stands between us and absolute peace and security for our souls and minds.
It appears to be and is an uphill journey, starting from the peripheral of the tropical depressions of
life through the tropical storms, to the grand-daddy of them all--the hurricanes of life. And there is
much turmoil involved in the process of traversing these levels. The traversal of each level requires
the acquirement of new faith and trust, new growth and development, the acquirement of new values
and meanings.
To traverse a purely material life in the spirit requires the supreme effort of those who seek refuge
from the hurricanes of life. We simply must acquire faith and trust. This faith is the power to
penetrate the walls of doubt and this trust is the pilot that will guide us through the rain of despair
into the peace, security, and assurance of eternal life, that vast arena where nothing of spiritual value
is ever lost and where comprehension of values is increased and new meanings arise out of the old
ones.
By exercising faith, we align our will with the Father's will, whose will is that all souls enter the
spiritual eye of the storms of life, to be born again, to enjoy the indescribable delights of the spiritual
life, and to enjoy the safety of divine love. This trust is security for the mind and the soul and trust
in the Father's goodness and mercy. These two qualities take the soul past the barriers of mortal life
to the endless opportunities for growth and development in the Father's Kingdom where all enjoy
eternal life. And here is a paradox: By exercising faith and trust, you thereby possess yourself of faith
and trust.
This concludes today's message on the eye of the storm. We hope you find something in this message
to ponder and pray about as you go about your day.
Until next time, this is Dr. James Perry.
* The World Book Encylopedia
Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done!
The Eye of the Storm
