The Long View, May 10
Daily Reflections from Inside the Cancer Journey
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Written by Thomas Sherrod
“In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here” (Genesis 15:16a NIV).
I have an adorable niece who has a brother three years older than her. Her brother lost his first tooth and was informed that the “tooth fairy” would be bringing money in exchange for his tooth. She was appalled! “What about me?” she complained. It didn’t seem fair in her world. She lobbied to change the current reward system. She looked at her parents with contempt, longing for a new administration. It did not soothe her ruffled feathers to be told she would be the recipient of the same blessing in a few years. A few years in the life of a four-year-old seems like an eternity.
Waiting for promises to be fulfilled is no easy task. God told Abram, later called Abraham, who was childless, “Look up at the sky and count the stars —if indeed you can count them…. So shall your offspring be” (Genesis 15:5 NIV). Then Abram was told that these promised descendants would become strangers in a land that was not theirs for four hundred years. To comfort Abram, God offered the reassurance that his descendants would inherit the promised land of Canaan in the fourth generation. The fourth generation! That means Abram’s great-grandchildren would enjoy the fruits of his faithfulness. “How is that fair?” my niece would say. I often expect instant gratification, while God’s promises speak to the big picture.
How does this message comfort you as you cope with a cancer diagnosis? Cancer can narrow your perspective, sometimes necessarily so. Getting through the next hour or minute can become the extent of your prayer life. How your present situation fits into a grand scheme is the last thing on your mind. You might struggle to trust in God’s promises to bless you and care for you throughout every season. Relief from your suffering may seem like a distant pipe dream. “Hurry, Lord,” may become your lament. Abram was given a glimpse of the Promised Land even though he would never live there. However, his descendants would. You are given the promise of God’s continued presence, comfort, strength, love, and so much more. This story reminds me that God’s promises are not dependent on how I may feel in the moment or when I think they need to be fulfilled. Sometimes my prayer becomes, “God grant me the patience to wait for the faithful fulfillment of Your Word.”
Pray: Lord, Your grace and promises are too wonderful for me to comprehend. Grant me the faith to trust in Your timing. May Your Holy Spirit enable me to wait for Your blessings and trust in Your faithfulness. Amen.
Your Turn: Imagine Abraham’s descendants (who include us) sharing stories in heaven about their father in faith who trusted God’s promises even though their fulfillment would take four generations to be realized.
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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