When the Going Gets Tough—the Tough Get on Their Knees, October 4
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Tina Wesley
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 ESV).
Where did this come from? How did this happen? Why did I not notice anything until now?
Those were some of the questions that permeated my mind after the big lump was discovered in my breast. Everything was a whirlwind. Appointments, decisions, new doctors, protocols. And what was a port? Before I really understood what it was, I was in surgery having one installed.
But superseding all of this was the overwhelming conviction to pray … and to pray without ceasing, as we are encouraged to do (see 1 Thessalonians 5:17). I was tremendously blessed to constantly be in prayer with my husband and several extremely close friends. They all love Jesus with a full-throttle passion and know the power of prayer. So we prayed—a lot!
Their commitment to Jesus and to me breathed life into me and carried me through. Prayer was my lifeline, for Jesus truly IS our life-line. He gave His life as a sacrifice so that we could be forgiven, redeemed and adopted into the family of God as His children. Prayer kept me constantly in His presence. After all, as today’s verse says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Being in His presence in such a powerful way brought clarity to the decisions that came along. One of those decisions was whether or not to have reconstructive surgery. To be honest, this was an easy and clear decision for me. The objective was to remove all disease from my body in order to be healed. What I did not want to do was to permanently insert anything foreign into my body. More importantly, though, the Lord gave me complete peace and the ability to embrace the fact that my body would be changed—it would look different. But through His grace, I was abundantly content with that realization. He even gave me a sense of humor about it, and that has remained. I believe the Lord will use even this for His amazing purposes.
The Lord was so good as He used prayer to strengthen me, as well as my family, and to draw us all even closer to Him. But He also used prayer to touch the lives of the medical team that served me throughout this journey. He gave me the conviction to pray with each of my doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals that He brought into my life. This medical community was my new mission field and He opened doors to have conversations about Him with an incredible amount of people as only He could do. What a mighty God!
The Lord truly is our refuge and strength. He is our shelter, our protector, in all the storms and trials of life. It is to Him that we run as the storm is approaching, for He is our mighty refuge. And He is our strength … no need to fear when our own strength wanes, because that is when His strength really moves in and lifts us up. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
Pray: Dear Lord, I pray that through those many prayers and conversations about You, lives will be changed for all eternity, as some will make the decision to surrender and accept You as Lord and Savior. Thank You for Your love, forgiveness, and healing. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Your Turn: Step out in faith and pray in-the-moment with someone the Lord brings across your path this week. Perhaps it will be the person at the checkout in the store, your server in the restaurant, or a co-worker. You will be amazed at what the Lord will do with your willingness to serve Him in this way. It’s your next adventure!
Tina Wesley, Cancer Survivor
#1 in Tina’s life is Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior. She is married to her best friend, Paul, and they have two adult children, as well as a son-in-law. Tina serves in full-time ministry, focusing on life-on-life relationships to see women transformed through a personal relationship with Jesus. She is a breast cancer survivor and is very grateful to point others to the Lord as they look for hope and strength in their own lives.
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.
To learn more about our ministry and the services we provide visit our website by clicking here.
