Be a Caleb, January 22
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Dan Held
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV).
When my wife, Sue, was first diagnosed with breast cancer, we did something surely no one else has ever done. We did a Google search for information about her particular type of cancer, seeking what would hopefully be a good prognosis.
Internet searches are akin to what Moses did when sending twelve spies ahead into the Promised Land in hopes of a good prognosis. Perhaps you remember how that story turned out.
In Numbers 13:30-33 (NIV) we read, “Then Caleb [one of the 12 spies] silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’”
Internet searches for anything resembling an accurate cancer prognosis can make us all feel like grasshoppers in relation to the cancer cells we may see as our enemy giants. Sue and I were tempted to feel this way. Until we remembered Caleb.
Caleb was our inspiration.
Caleb looked at the Promised Land and saw evidence of his all-powerful God fulfilling His promises. The other spies doubted God’s promise. They looked at the Promised Land and saw only barriers they thought mightier than the Lord God Almighty.
Inspired by Caleb’s faith, Moses encouraged all the children of Israel to move forward with faith in God’s presence and promise. He told them, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Cancer is big and ugly and scary, but it is not bigger than God’s promises. Let Caleb’s faith inspire you to trust the Lord Your God, who goes before you. He will never leave you nor forsake you!
Pray: Ever-present God, we confess that we have spied in hopes of finding good news in the reports of other men. Remind us that our hope is always in You. Remind us that You are always bigger than our cancer. Grant us the courage of Caleb today! Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Your Turn: We may all feel like the children of Israel sometimes in relation to the giants we seem to face in our promised land to come. If so, remember Caleb. Read today’s verse (Deuteronomy 31:6) and remember the promises of God. Use this scripture to help you be a Caleb—even on the bad days.
Dan Held, Cancer Caregiver
Dan is a cancer caregiver who lives with his wife (Sue) of 55 years in Dayton, Ohio, where Sue has been free from breast cancer and colon cancer for two years! Dan is an ordained pastor and a licensed therapist with a heart for families touched by cancer at any stage. He is dedicated to promoting the message of more love and less fear in all aspects of his ministry and life. Check out his blog at www.danielkheld.com.
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