“‘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.

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19 ESV).

Do you have any regrets? Is there anything in your life you wish you could change? Something from your past that makes you cringe?

If only we could wipe away our mistakes

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18 NIV).

Fears pervade the cancer experience: the fear of a cancer diagnosis. The fear of the unknown. The fear of missing out (FOMO). The fear of suffering and death. You may even feel like you are suffering from pantophobia, the fear of everything!

Fears can be as harmful as the disease itself. How do you manage and overcome them?

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18 NIV).

Death. We hear, see, and read about it daily. We read about it in horror novels. We read about death occurring daily in mass media. Shootings. Car accidents. Recently, the coronavirus pandemic. We see death filmed graphically in Hollywood motion pictures, told through intricate storylines of incantations, gratuitous violence, and the like. Until we are faced with the likelihood of death closer to home, though, many times we don’t give death much serious thought.

Suddenly the unthinkable occurs. The announcement of cancer hits us like a ton of bricks. Now, the fear of death rises from being an afterthought to becoming a major thought. . . .

“To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit” (Jonah 2:6 NIV).

Some of the most familiar Bible stories for children include David and Goliath, Noah’s ark, and Jonah and the whale. These scriptures have been read so often that the common human struggles addressed are often missed. Jonah heard from the Lord. We long to hear from God, but when we do, we may not like what we hear. Jonah sure didn’t. He was told to go to Nineveh and cry out against their wickedness. He didn’t like the assignment and headed to Tarshish instead. Not a good idea. He ended up in a dark place.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5-6 NIV)

The women who followed Jesus to His entombment on Friday returned Sunday morning with spices to embalm His body, expecting to find His dead, brutalized body. Seeing the tomb empty shocked them. 

“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment” (Luke 23:55-56 NIV).

What happened the day after the crucifixion? Luke tells us that some of the women who had followed Jesus rested. The other disciples likely did the same. Being the Jewish Sabbath, and after the horror of Jesus’ death, they needed to rest.  

“When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left” (Luke 23:33 NIV).

After arresting Jesus, the Jewish leaders and their “holy” henchmen took Him to Pilate, the Roman governor of the Jews. He listened to their charges, questioned Jesus, and found no wrongdoing. He planned to punish Jesus and let Him go, but an angry crowd arose shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Their pressure prevailed, and Pilate gave in to their demands.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God’” (Luke 22:14-16 NIV). Moses had warned cold-hearted Pharaoh of the consequences of refusing to let the Israelites go. Now Egypt awoke to find every Egyptian first-born son dead. Imagine—screaming mothers and fathers, stunned siblings, everyone weeping and wailing.