Thankful for God's Promises

The past few weeks have been anything but calm and peaceful. I have no idea how any human being on this earth can get through trials without knowing the God of this universe. One of my go to verses is James 1:2-3, where God clearly tells us to “Consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” My faith has been put on trial lately and I can honestly say that trials make me stronger and draw me closer to Jesus.

Two weeks ago, life at The Crouch’s was cruising along just fine. All the things God could see, we could not. We cannot see what tomorrow holds but God can, and nothing catches Him by surprise. We were already dealing with Kay and her disease, but then the following things interrupted our lives. My brother announced that he has stage four lung cancer. My sister in-law is undergoing triple by-pass surgery as I write this post. My son-in-law received news that there is a growth on his brain and will be revisited in eight weeks to see if it is growing, and my brother-in-law, Larry, passed away last week.

Do I consider it all joy? I really do not. What I do understand right now is that my faith is being challenged and patience is a virtue that I lack and need desperately to obtain. All this rests in the hands of God and there is not one thing worrying will do to change that. Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.” Truer words have never been spoken. I must turn worry into prayer and have faith to believe that God is in control and  will comfort all of us during these dark and uncertain days. God is not asking me to understand what He is doing, but I think He wants me to understand who He is.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, (Crouch Family), for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” That right there is a promise. The scripture from James is a promise. I believe in God’s promises, and I know who holds tomorrow.

Please keep our family in your prayers. I am so very thankful for our church family. It is a gift to us from God and honestly, I cannot imagine life without it.