In every life some times of crisis WILL come.  You can take it to the bank.  Everyone, young or old, will come upon days of crisis…a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger…a time of catastrophe, calamity, emergency or disaster.  For me, my 74 years have allowed me to experience all of the above.  Each time there has been something that Father God wanted me to learn or to stretch me in my faith to trust Him.  We have God’s promises that it won’t rain always.

I remember well the time that I was within hours of death when I suffered from very serious pancreatitis.  After 30 days in the hospital and surgery to remove my gall bladder, I began the process of mending physically learning deeply of His ability to heal my body and save me from the enemy’s attempt to take my life.

I remember well the time my Beloved Rog suffered a bleeding ulcer and we faced the enemy’s attempt to take his life.  I learned through that time of crisis to trust Him with my Dearly Beloved at a level I’d never experienced before or since.

I remember well the time we had to declare personal bankruptcy.  Both Rog and I had been brought up that you ALWAYS paid your bill and then you ate on what was left.  As we faced this monumental financial crisis in our lives we were so personally devastated that I thought we would never recover. The enemy threw huge amounts of shame and guilt at both of us until several years later, Father spoke to Rog a word that freed us both…”Son, I had to take you through the bankruptcy so that I could teach you things I could teach you no other way.”  These words and its lessons taught me to trust my Abba for financial provision when the baskets were completely empty and our circumstances seemed hopeless.  But there would be more lessons to be learned about finances.

Recently the ministry experienced the loss of a significant monthly donation.  Since the bankruptcy we had rocked on for many years watching increase come time after time.  This time, however, because the donation was so significant each month, my world of financial trust in Father came crashing down.  I experienced in a few short hours a tremendous drain on my physical body.   I knew the enemy was at work once again challenging me in the area of trust that my Father would provide.  I ran to the scripture “my God shall provide all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”  I camped there as my blood pressure skyrocketed, headaches returned, vertigo compromised my balance, my brain became paralyzed with a huge fog and others I won’t mention here!  I spent time in repentance, giving up control of my life and seeking the Father’s heart and what He wanted to speak to me in the middle of this crisis.  Slowly He began to speak through others to me:

“God will turn every sorrow into joy and every calamity into redemption.”  Rabbi Cahn

“Our test is meant to upgrade our identity.”  Graham Cooke

“The depth of our relationship and commitment to God is revealed in times of crisis.”  Roger Taylor!

Father’s ministry to me in this crisis has been that when I release to Him what only He can do, my peace returns, my body responds favorably to that peace and the rocking of my world ceases.

“We have learned through trials in Him to abide for the beauty of sorrow is the joy on the other side.”  Jerry White