“You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19b NKJV).

Have you ever sat on the beach under an umbrella in the hot sun, and looked out to the horizon? Approximately 71% of the earth is covered by water! The depths of the ocean are beyond our imagination. I watch the National Geographic Channel and see creatures I did not know existed! Since the advent of the movie Jaws, I am a lot more reluctant to swim too deep into the ocean. Who knows what is out there?!

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14 NIV).

My appearance is not everything, but it is something. I have always been grateful for my hair, even when I was having a bad hair day or wishing for curly instead of straight hair. My hair is a part of me and a part of how people have known me.

When having hair is all you have ever known, it can be devastating to know you will lose it. And lose it I did in June 2019, as a result of chemo to treat my breast cancer.

“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9 NIV)

Do you have any snow globes? When my kids were young, they loved to shake and flip those globes until all the “snow” was swirling around. Now, imagine if you were actually in the snow globe that my kids were violently shaking. A traumatic event like a car wreck, an unexpected death of a friend, or a cancer diagnosis will violently shake your life—your snow globe. All your “normal” is upside down and swirling around you.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).

Both times I heard the word “cancer” used by a surgeon in response to my wife’s diagnosis, two different four-letter words crossed my mind in quick succession. Neither were profane, but both were profound within my mind’s initial reaction. The first one was “lose.” I didn’t want to lose my wife. Breast cancer triggered such a thought back in 2017. Colon cancer triggered it again in 2020. My most immediate prayer was, “Please, God, I don’t want to lose her.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:2-3 NIV).

In the spring of 2019, my sweet daughter, Grace, planned to leave on a trip to Europe at the completion of her sophomore year of college. That spring, I was also diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time of her departure, we thought Grace was healthy, and I was set to win my battle against cancer with radiation after my lumpectomy. Wow! Things really did not work out like we thought!

For our family, life went from difficult to frightening . . . .

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 NIV).

Many medical procedures from routine blood work to major surgeries may require fasting. Your doctor may instruct you not to eat any food after midnight until after the procedure. This typically means missing breakfast, maybe lunch, too.

Medical fasting can be hard and unpleasant. Most of us aren’t used to skipping any meals. Our stomachs can be big bossy babies. “Feed me! Feed me now!!” One person I know, when forced to give up her daily cereal and banana breakfast, came unhinged, as if she might starve to death!

“Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15 NIV)

There she was, alone in an empty room. Although streams of sunlight crept in through the blinds that hung on her window, the room still felt cold and dark. Cynthia was on her face before the Lord. For hours, she cried out to Him. “Lord, you’ve got the wrong girl. I can’t do this again. I don’t want to fight anymore. What about my daughter? She deserves to have a mother!”

Cynthia had just learned that her breast cancer was back. And it was aggressive. She felt alone. Forsaken by God. This was just too … unfair. She was gripped with fear. She desperately wanted a way out.

“Then the word of the LORD came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15:4-5 NIV).

When we were kids, my brother, sister, and I used to make the BEST blanket forts. We’d use every blanket in the house, all the stools, a few chairs, broomsticks, large books, and tons of clothespins to make a blanket fort so big it would cover the entire room. It was unbelievably awesome. One day I decided I wanted the fort built my way—and if they didn’t do it my way, I’d take my blanket and leave. Did my manipulation stop the awesome fort from being built? No, but it did result in me sitting in another room with my blanket over my head, reading a comic book with a flashlight. Not much of a fort. I guess my way didn’t turn out so great.

“Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him’” (Lamentations‬ 3:22-24 NIV‬).‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

When living with cancer, every day presents new challenges—chemotherapy, fatigue, uncertainty, setbacks, and more. Reasons for complaining abound. But each day also carries the promise of God’s presence and His loving help. His acts of compassion are new every morning.

Today’s Bible verses come from the book of Lamentations. A lament is a passionate expression of deep grief, sorrow, regret, or disappointment. Death, loss, suffering, or sicknesses like cancer can lead us to lament.‬‬

“‘Be angry, and do not sin’: do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26 NKJV).

The doctor tells you those horrible words, “You have cancer!” For some of us, another announcement is even more impactful: “You only have a short time to live.” Even if your oncologist got an “A” in his bedside manner class, this news hits you with a powerful punch.

Even the most seasoned Christian may have a hard time swallowing being told they have cancer. That may only be the setup punch. The devastating blow is the knockout punch of being told the cancer is fatal.

“I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’” (Nehemiah 2:3 NIV

Before their diagnosis, many cancer patients tried hard to do all the “right” things. Good diet, regular exercise, and consistent cancer screenings are all important efforts to keep cancer out of your life. Yet these efforts are no guarantee that cancer won’t raise its ugly head. When cancer pays a visit, you quickly find that you are not insulated from illness or difficulty, no matter how hard you try. Cancer takes your life out of your hands and places it squarely into God’s.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).

The word “cancer” tends to bring to mind only bad things—chemotherapy, nausea and sickness, losing your hair, disability, loss of your job and income, exorbitant medical costs, scary surgeries, losing body parts, chronic pain, saying goodbye to loved ones, and even death. The Bible says that God is working for your good in all these things, too.

“Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14 NIV).

I came to the hospital to visit Mr. Coble, one of the oldest members of the church where I served as pastor. Over the past few years, he had endured a long cancer battle. Nearing the end of his life, his family asked that I come pray and anoint him with holy oil.

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you” (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV).

I remember as a young seminary student being asked to read scripture for our opening chapel service. I said, “Sure.” I had practiced the scripture and felt ready. I walked into the chapel, saw the room filled with professors, students, and community leaders and was panic-stricken. I exited the building and hurried to the cafeteria. I could not do it. It was too hard for me!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”

(1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV).

I was building a step stool for my best friend to put next to his bed. I thought about all the steps my best friend and I had taken together. Every morning we walked together before work. We laughed, told stories of our family, prayed, and cried through those many steps. We walked together for a lot of miles, but sadly my friend was taking these last steps by himself. Cancer had spread. Hospice had come.

“I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4b NIV).

Since December of 2018, my husband has endured numerous tests. Blood draws—can we take a moment to acknowledge the ridiculous number of tubes of blood that are taken from a cancer patient? Ok, now we can move on. There are CAT scans and PET scans, both with and without contrast. Contrast is dye, which I have been told burns going through your veins. The patient must wait a few hours for the dye to work through their system, then go back for them to “push” more contrast or dye into their veins—oh, and you have to hold still....

“The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore” (Psalm 121:7-8 NIV).

Where would we be in this life without hope? It’s what motivates us to keep trying after all seems lost. It gets us through the storms of life. It’s the anchor that keeps us going, no matter how hard the struggle.

“When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (Luke 7:13 NIV).

One day Jesus and a large group of His followers were entering into a town as a funeral procession for a young man—who was the only son of his mother—was heading out to the cemetery.

Can you picture the scene? What a contrast between the crowd that was following Jesus and the crowd following the widow and her dead son. Jesus was heading for the city, while the mourners were heading for the cemetery. Jesus and His disciples were rejoicing in the blessing of the Lord, but the widow and her friends were lamenting the death of her only son.

“The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves” (Zephaniah 3:17a NIV).

Warning: Chemotherapy may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, mouth sores, hair changes, nail changes, memory loss—and the list continues. Can’t it be scary and overwhelming to read labels of possible side effects? However, you sometimes need treatment with these chemical substances to fight the disease called cancer. Like me, you might also find that you need a Mighty Warrior who saves.

“He will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:8a NRSV).

Jesus may not have had a fear of death, but He certainly knew the fear of dying a painful death. Like us, He would have done almost anything to avoid it. In His Gethsemane prayer on the night before He would die the most painful death any human could ever imagine, He referred to His death as the “drinking of this cup”—as if it were the most bitter and terrible thing any person could ever have to swallow.