We had the joy of hearing from Karen Loritts, wife of Pastor Crawford Loritts, during the last session of the morning. Mrs. Loritts is a speaker, teacher, and author who has been serving in ministry since 1972 with her husband.
It was obvious, from the moment she spoke her first sentence, that she was bringing us a message from God’s Word that she knew deeply through personal experience. Through tears and a broken voice, she pleaded with us to trust God through the difficult circumstances of life that she referred to as “exams” that He often gives us. He wants to point out what is really in our hearts and test us to see if we really do trust Him.
The centerpiece of her message was Proverbs 28: 26, “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered,” and Colossians 3:15-17. She encouraged us with three characteristics of a true woman who wants to trust God with the deliverance that only He can give. She urged us to trust in the peace of Christ, trust in the power of the Spirit, and trust in the presence of God.
Trusting in the peace, power, and presence of God means that we submit to His rule because we trust that His way is perfect and His Word is true. Futhermore, we must seek to cultivate a heart of thankfulness, bearing fruit that ministers to others who are dealing with the “Why’s?” of life. Even in the midst of doubting, trial, and temptation, we are to trust in, delight in, and commit our way to the Lord because He will act on our behalf (Ps. 37).
Karen blessed us with a raw message from a heart that is seeking to be faithful to the Lord in the midst of hard circumstances. She provided encouragement to persist in believing Christ even when we can’t hear Him, see His work, or make sense of His ways. As one preacher said, we must “trust God’s heart when you can’t see His hand.”
I pray and expect that the Lord will use her testimony to make women strong in the faith as we heed the words, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”