Shifting Tides, November 28
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Thomas Sherrod
The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan (Joshua 5:12 NIV).
I was warned but still surprised when my single friends began to drift away after my wedding. My priorities had changed. It was a different season in my life. Ecclesiastes reminds me that there is a season for everything (see Ecclesiastes 3:1). Transitions can be difficult to embrace. I tend to resist change. I tell myself to trust that God will provide for me in a variety of ways through all the shifting tides of my life; however, that is a lot easier to say than to do. Trusting in God's provisions can be a challenge.
The children of Israel had sojourned in the desert for forty years. All that time, God was faithful to provide manna to keep them nourished. The situation changed when they entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. Moses, their beloved leader, had died, God had anointed Joshua as the shepherd for His people, and there was no more manna. Things were changing fast!
A cancer diagnosis is also a game changer. New physicians enter the picture and become important players in your life. New priorities take precedence. New concerns and questions become foremost in your mind. Can you trust these new healthcare providers? What has happened to your life? How will this cancer change your life’s course? Will God continue to provide for your immediate and long-term needs?
Like Alice in Wonderland, you may feel you have gone through the looking glass and entered a new reality. Suddenly you feel a little more vulnerable. You find yourself in unfamiliar territory. You find friends you never thought would be there for you. You see God begin to provide for you in unexpected ways. Some people you thought might step up to support you have not risen to the task. Other people show a sensitivity to your plight that is a welcome surprise. Moses has died, but Joshua is there. The manna is gone, but the food of the land is supplied. Like a merry-go-round, the scenery is constantly changing. You search for stability.
There is a sure place to find the stability you are craving. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NIV). This truth brings tremendous comfort as the waves of change crash onto your shoreline. Your trust rests in the God who provides. In Genesis the name for “the God who provides” is “Jehovah-jireh” (Genesis 22:14 ASV). He will provide!
Pray: Lord, thank You for Your promise to never leave nor forsake us through the changing seasons of our lives. Remind us that You are in control. Help us to remember that our lives revolve around You, just as the earth revolves around the sun. Amen.
Your Turn: List times of transitions in your life before cancer (graduations, marriage, babies, loss of a loved one, divorce, illness, etc.) Although it might have been difficult to see God’s hand at the time, record now how He provided for you then. Thank God for how He has provided for you over the course of your life. Ask God to enable you to trust that He will continue to provide for you in this strange new land.
Thomas W. Sherrod, Cancer Survivor
Tom is a retired hospital chaplain who works part time for Atrium Wake Forest Baptist Health System in North Carolina. He organized and facilitated a cancer support group for twenty years as part of his hospital ministry. He is married for forty-four years and enjoys his three daughters, two sons-in-law, and five grandchildren. He is a recent survivor of prostate cancer and is immensely thankful for all of God's grace and provisions through it all.
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