Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV).

Ann was a dear patient we had the opportunity to serve at Maple Tree Cancer Alliance for more than a year. When she first came to us, it was obvious that she felt defeated by life. Ann grew up in an abusive household and married a man who continued the cycle of abuse. Her stress was so severe that her physician suggested it could have been the root cause of her breast cancer. She told us that she couldn’t sleep. She had a hard time eating. She was alienated from her family and could not maintain long-lasting friendships. She felt worthless and utterly alone. She even mused that “it would be good if cancer would end [her] life,” because she didn’t see the point in living.

Now then, tell my servant David, “This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel” (1 Chronicles 17:7 NIV).

I just had my fiftieth high school reunion. How is that possible? Classmates were asked to submit a brief summary of their lives. It was fascinating to read the stories. One person went to law school, decided it was not for him and started a gardening business. Another, who was quiet and unassuming, became a leader in his community. A life review can be a revealing exercise. We see how God has worked in our lives. And it brings assurance that He will continue His work in us.

… careless in the care of God (Matthew 6:26 MSG).

Cancer is scary. The uncertainty, unknowns, and demands can be overwhelming. You’ve never had more reason to worry, yet Jesus tells you not to. He invites you to be “careless in the care of God” (Matthew 26:6 MSG).

Our two standard poodles, Molly and Poppy, live the good life—food twice a day, plenty of treats, long walks, and naps, a fenced-in yard for playing, and sleeping by our bed (sometimes on it).

He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber (Psalm 121:3 NIV).

While hiking in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, I was headed up a rather steep section of our trail when I glanced up, hoping to catch a glimpse of the trail’s summit. I wanted to see how much farther of a climb we still had ahead of us. Suddenly, I felt a rock beneath my right foot begin to slide, and in what seemed like slow motion, my entire body went backward and down onto the rocky soil below.

Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? (Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19a ‭MSG‬‬)

Same blood draw. Same scan. Same chemo. A seven-day pillbox. Another long wait. Another bill. Back-to-back days of radiation. Dealing with cancer can get sooooo old. Take heart, God is about to do a brand-new thing! ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

“Heaven’s my throne, earth is my footstool. What sort of house could you build for me? What holiday spot reserve for me? I made all this! I own all this!” God’s Decree. “But there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say” (Isaiah 66:2 MSG).

I was called by a lady who was a member of the church I attended. She told me of her daughter’s boyfriend who was dying of an aggressive form of cancer. She asked if I could go see him. When I entered his room, I saw a young man who couldn’t have weighed more than 100 pounds.

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand (Isaiah 64:8 NIV).

One Christmas, my daddy gave my older daughter, Grace, a kit for making pottery. She took the clay and worked with care and purpose in molding and shaping her creation into something special.

This image of Grace reminds me that our heavenly Father is the Divine Potter, and we are His clay. When we receive Him through faith, He begins to mold and shape us over time.

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it” (John 11:4 NIV).

We see God’s glory in a breathtaking sunrise or a sunset. As the woman you are about to marry walks down the aisle toward you, dressed in her beautiful wedding gown. At the birth of a child and the surreal moment your eyes first meet. In these kinds of moments, God’s glory is hard to miss. But seeing God’s glory in sickness and death; well, that is harder.

So the wall was finished in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God (Nehemiah 6:15-16 ESV).

 Nehemiah was a layman and a cupbearer to the great King Artaxerxes, who ruled Persia from 464 to 423 B.C. “Nehemiah” means "the Lord has comforted." 

 Nehemiah was one of the Jews in captivity in Babylon. His heart was troubled by reports of Jerusalem, the holy city of his people, lying in ruins, with the walls broken down and the gates destroyed by fire.

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand (Psalm 139:17-18 NIV).

When Kate turned fifty, she knew it was time to schedule a routine colonoscopy. She had been healthy her entire life, and she wasn’t experiencing any symptoms that would cause her alarm, so she didn’t think much of it. She simply went in because it was what you do when you turn fifty! Yet, this checkup turned out to be anything but routine.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore (Psalm 125:2 NIV).

When my wife was diagnosed with cancer (first in the breast and two years later in the colon), one of the first things we both noticed was our losing track of our immediate surroundings. In effect, we lost track of our senses.

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:24-27 NIV)

The attack on Pearl Harbor, JFK’s assassination, 9/11. Anyone alive on those days can tell you exactly where they were and how they felt when they heard the news. You also know the moment that the cancer diagnosis came. These days stand out because everything was “normal,” and then, after the event, everything was not “normal.”

This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV).

In retirement, part of my day is spent as a community liaison to area service agencies. I received a referral for help in locating and purchasing a wheelchair transport trailer for a man with muscular dystrophy. The trailers are expensive. My wife suggested looking at Facebook Marketplace. We searched the website and found a perfect trailer for one-fifth the price of a new one. Two churches willingly volunteered to contribute to the need. The trailer was purchased and attached to his vehicle. I stood in awe at how God supplied this man’s need. It was not by my might or wisdom. It was definitely by the Spirit of God.

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants…. The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded” (Matthew 18:23,27-28 NIV).

Over the years I have found myself praying, whether for someone else or for myself upon being sick, words such as this: “Please, God, pour out your healing mercies upon…” in the full faith that God would always be merciful, one way or another. During worship liturgy it has been in my corporate prayers, as well. Maybe you also have said these words in a church service: “Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.”

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).

During my two breast cancer experiences I was able to continue to teach collegiate nursing, even as I received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It was not always easy, as I was tired and “just not quite me,” but I could manage during the week and then rest and restore on the weekends. My family, the student nurses, and university staff were incredibly supportive and helpful during these times.

Yea, though I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Psalm 23:4 KJV).

I am currently on my third cancer walk. My third cancer diagnosis, ten years after my second breast cancer diagnosis, was gynecological. It was thankfully discovered very early, but it was a “high grade,” or stronger cancer, which was very concerning.

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you (Isaiah 41:13 NIV).

I expect that most people have something about themselves that helps them feel more comfortable or in control of situations in their lives. For me, that one thing has always been my brain. If I could just get enough information about something and think I understood it and had a good plan, I felt like everything would be ok. If not, I would feel on shaky ground.

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.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV).

When I was a little girl, we moved from Canada to Denmark for a year. One of my dad’s favorite stories from this time was when our family attended a local weekend festival. There was a dare-devil motorcyclist with sawed-off mufflers attempting to ride his motorcycle high above the crowd on a tightrope. I was about five years old and had never experienced such a sight! At a pause in the action the deafening noise of the revving engine subsided, and according to Dad, I yelled out into the silent crowd, “DOES GOD KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON DOWN HERE?!” The crowd erupted into laughter.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in alarm. He said to his advisers, “Didn’t we throw three men, bound, into the fire?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty,” they replied to the king.

He exclaimed, “Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:24-25 HCSB).

Several years before my breast cancer diagnosis, I went to a women’s Bible study on the book of Daniel. The vivid stories captured our hearts, especially the story of the three men the king commanded to be thrown into a fiery furnace if they would not renounce God. As they stood feeling the heat of the fire they would soon be thrown into, they told the king that their God was able to save them from the fire, but even if He did not, they would never renounce Him.