Radiation Revelation, July 7
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by David Gira
“The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command” (Hebrews 1:3a NLT).
As a cancer patient, you may need radiation treatments. I recently completed my second round, a total of forty individual treatments. Thankfully, they appear to have been effective.
The radiation machine looks like something from a science fiction movie. While you lie on a rock-hard bench, the machine slowly rotates around you. It pinpoints the cancer cells, focuses, and blasts them from different angles with high-energy particles or waves such as gamma rays.
As this happens, you cannot feel, see, hear, or sense radiation in any way. There’s no pain (except the hard bench!) Treatments take very little time—in my case, just a few minutes. As you lie there doing nothing except trying to stay still, the radiation is damaging and destroying cancer cells!
Radiation is a lot like faith. We cannot see God. Jesus said, “No one has ever seen God” (John 1:18 NIV). Paul wrote that God is the “King eternal, immortal, invisible” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV).
But we can see His powerful works all around us. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1 NIV). As we behold the ocean, the mountain tops, and miracles of life, we see God’s work.
We see God best when we see Jesus. In Jesus, God became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. He proclaimed God’s love, performed miracles, healed the sick, forgave sins, died on the cross, and conquered the grave. Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9 NIV).
Our verse today says, “The Son radiates God’s own glory” (Hebrews 1:3a). From Jesus, God’s love, mercy, majesty, power, beauty, and healing beam forth into all of creation, even into the depths of our being. What an incredible radiation therapy!
Jesus has ascended to heaven, but He is still with us through the Holy Spirit. He lives in all who believe in Him. Although the Spirit is invisible, we can see the “fruit of the Spirit” in our lives: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23).
Through His Holy Spirit, we can experience Jesus loving us, lifting sin’s weight from our shoulders, drawing close and staying near, speaking love, and even touching us with healing hands. With eyes filled with faith, you will see Jesus everywhere.
We can also see the works of the invisible God in our cancer experience. Even when the darkness of disease eclipses our view, Jesus remains the “the light of the world” (John 8:12 NIV) that sustains us.
In our family room, we have a picture on the wall of a shining sun with these words attributed to C.S. Lewis: “I believe in Christ as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” May Christ’s glorious light shine brightly, opening your eyes to see His many wonderful works in your life.
Pray: Lord, thank You for treatments like radiation therapy. Help me trust You to use them for my healing. May they also increase my faith in You. Even when I can’t see You, open my eyes to the ways You are working in my life. Amen.
Your turn: “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” as sung by Casting Crowns reminds us God is working even when we don’t see Him. Be on the lookout today for the works of Jesus.
Michael David Gira, Jr., Cancer Survivor
David was an ordained United Methodist Pastor and graduate of Duke Divinity School. He and his wife, Amy, lived in Raleigh, North Carolina with their three children. In 2017 he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. In his book, How Cancer Cured Me, he shares many ways he experienced God’s healing. After a 7 year battle with cancer, David is now joyously singing praises in God’s glorious throne room. His legacy lives on through his writing for Cancer Companions, as he continues to proclaim Christ’s hope and healing power to others experiencing cancer. https://www.davidgira.com/how-cancer-cured-me
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
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