Relief for the Pain of Your Cancer Journey, May 18
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Niki Hardy
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18 NIV).
As I slowly gained consciousness, it seemed that every single cell in my body was screaming with agony. I had just had a large chunk of my plumbing removed; I am a colorectal cancer survivor. As the morphine made its way around my body, the pain would subside. I would fall asleep—until I woke racked with pain again.
Too many of us encounter the reality of pain in our cancer journey. If you're in pain today, my heart goes out to you because I know what it's like. I want to share with you some personal relief to this very personal problem.
God doesn't always take our pain away, but He does not leave us helpless. Psalm 34:18 tells us that God is “close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Sometimes it’s pain that breaks our heart and crushes our spirit. But God offers a personal solution to a personal problem—Himself; His presence, His comfort, His calming balm.
After my surgery, my doctor told me, “stay ahead of your pain.” What if there's a spiritual truth to this as well? What if Jesus wants to enable us to stay ahead of our pain spiritually with prayer?
One way or another I developed what I call my “mishmash verse”—my prayer mantra or rally cry. In my befuddled state, I grabbed a few verses and made them into one. Here it is, snatched from places like Psalm 62, Psalm 91, and 2 Samuel: “You are my rock and my salvation, my fortress, and my strength.” It’s not terribly long, but it is all truth, and it became my spiritual medicine.
The first thing this “verse” did for me is that it became a refuge. It became my place of safety that I pressed into and took shelter in, to bring relief. As I held on to these truths, it eased the grip the pain had on me.
Secondly, it also gave me permission to be kind to myself. The truth is, God is your refuge and strength. He's got you—and if He's got you, then surely you can and should relax. You’re important to him. It's okay to rest. It's okay to care for yourself.
With all the truth of our rally cry we can face the pain head on and quiet it—with the truth of Whose we are, how safe in His presence we are, and how close He is to us in our pain. I love my friend Grace’s rally cry, “Good is coming.” In the dark of the painful sleepless nights you can say, “You are my rock and my salvation, my fortress and my strength. Good is coming.” Somehow in the midst of the pain the Lord draws close. Our eyes are lifted to the heavens and there is soothing relief for our pain-filled soul. Our personal God understands our pain and is with us, and there is our help.
Pray: Lord, You meet us in our pain, and we give You praise and thanks. You gave us Your Spirit to make sure we're never alone. Lord, we breathe in Your presence, Your peace, and Your comfort. We repeat Your Word in the stillness, knowing it is true. You are our rock and our salvation, our fortress, and our strength. Amen.
Your Turn:
1) Adopt my mantra or choose your own personal mantra based on Scripture truth. Write it out where you will see it when you need it.
2) What would being kind to yourself this week look like? Allow yourself to do it.
Niki Hardy, Family Member and Cancer Survivor
Niki is a British author, speaker, podcast host, and cancer thriver. Through her books Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart and One Minute Prayers for Women with Cancer, and her free Trusting God Through Cancer Summit and Chemo Chair Prayers podcast, she helps people discover that life doesn’t have to be pain-free to be full, then to go live it. Download her FREE book bundle or find other resources at nikihardy.com.
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