newsaugust06

THE EYE OF THE STORM
By Rev. Verna Brown-August 06

“God prepares great men and women for great tasks by great trials.” J.K. Gressett

...even though now for a little while if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though
tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus
Christ; 1.Peter 1:6-7

Dear friends and faithful supporters of Soul Devotion Ministries, I wanted to update you on why we
haven’t written in the past 8 months. On Jan. 13th, 2006 I went into the most difficult season of my
life. The storm hit hard, fast, and without warning. My daughter Simone, was crowned Homecoming
Queen that evening, and on the way out of the school gym, my cell phone rang. Doctors had performed
emergency surgery on my mom, who thought she had food poisoning. She was swelling in her lower
abdomen, and in excruciating pain. When they opened her up they found a cancerous mass on her
colon, and it had spread to her liver. They didn’t think she would make it through the week. I left home
in California, and for the next month lived in a hospital room in Tennessee, with my sisters. Mom was
full of faith, and unmoved by the diagnosis. She ministered to every person who walked in the room,
and God used her so mightily laying flat of her back. She never lost hope, joy, peace, or trust in God.
She didn’t blame Him, or run away from Him. He was her everything, and in the midst of the storm
she rested in His arms. The doctors told us that colon cancer was the most painful type of cancer, and
advised us to call for pain medication when it became necessary. We didn’t need it, as God brought her
through with very little discomfort. She lived in our home for the next few months, and entered into
the arms of Jesus on May 10th. She was alert, and present with us, until she was present with the Lord.
He was always on her mind. He was the first person she talked to every morning, and Jesus was the
last word on her lips, as she sweetly said, “Yes Jesus” when He personally came to her bedside and
took her home. It was miraculous.
What I found in this storm was that God was there in the most tangible way. He was my ever present
help. He showed Himself strong to me, in a way I had never known before. He showed me what I was
made of, and produced even more of His character. He kept me safely in the center of the raging
winds, and if I had run from Him into the outer bands of the storm, it could’ve destroyed me. But,
instead it strengthened me. I want each of you that is facing a storm in your life right now to know this:
“God is there for you!” You may not understand the circumstances swirling around you, but God is still
asking you to trust Him. This adversity will build godly character, and a stronger faith if you will choose
to trust Him.
The storms of life are inevitable. Trials, pain, difficult circumstances and hard times are here to stay.
We cannot stop the occurrence of storms, but we can change our response to those storms. With every
dark cloud and each gust of wind, comes the opportunity to trust God and allow our faith to grow. God
is much more interested in our character, than in our comfort. He knows that adversity is the only thing
that shapes character, and a crisis always reveals what is REALLY inside. Oh, it is easy to sing praises
when the seas are calm and the boat is still, but the strength of our faith is impartially measured in the
midst of the raging storm- a job is lost, a marriage destroyed, a child has strayed, a dream has died,
someone you admire lets you down, sickness hits your body, ministry seems hollow...It’s in these
moments that you find out the depth of your faith. We must be rooted and grounded in God, to the
extent that we are unmoved, unshaken, and still able to trust Him, “No matter what!” Anything - any
trial or pain- that drives us to God can be counted as a blessing. Faith sees the storm as a chance for
God to work in a new way. Faith sees the darkness as an opportunity for His light to shine brighter.
Faith sees pain as an opportunity for God to comfort and encourage His precious child. The next time
the storm churns around you, or if you’re in one right now, don’t run away from God. Don’t give up in
defeat. Turn to Him, snuggle up in His loving arms, and trust Him. You will take on more of His
character, and come to know Him better. He’ll not only bring you through it, but keep you safe in the
“eye” of the storm…..