Cancer and Hope: a Devotional
There are so many amazing ways that Jesus can show up in the midst of your cancer walk.
Where can you go to find hope on a cancer journey? Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful relief to know this. It’s easy on some days of a cancer walk to see how big Christ is in your life:
“My scan was good.”
“The tumor has shrunk.”
“My doctor is wonderful.”
“I’m amazed at how everyone has been
taking care of me.”
“Did you know that the whole prayer
chain is praying for me?”
Can you think of a time when you knew Jesus showed up on your cancer walk? Share your response if you would like.
It’s so true. There are so many amazing ways that Jesus can show up in the midst of your cancer walk. This helps us to breathe in our hope in Jesus. But, on some days, cancer looms so big that it can be hard to remember that Jesus Christ is bigger than the darkness of cancer:
“Don’t worry about the money. We’ll figure something out.”
“Why didn’t you go to the doctor sooner?”
“The tumor is growing.”
“I know I haven’t been in touch, but things are so busy.”
“What do you mean, you can’t come to the reunion?”
“You’ll be in some type of treatment for the rest of your life.”
“It’s stage 4.”
“It’s inoperable.”
“The treatment’s not working.”
“This illness is probably due to the cancer treatment you had 15 years ago.”
“You’ll always have to deal with this side effect of your cancer.”
“You’ll not be able to have children.”
Yuck. It makes my chest hurt just to write that list. Let’s face it- cancer is BIG.
If you remember only one thing from this study, remember this:
Our hope in Christ comes not only from what He does in your life, but from who He is.
Take a moment to remember:
Cancer cannot move Christ - He is closer than your breath.
Cancer cannot dim His power - He is the endless light in your darkness.
Cancer cannot take you from Him - You are the joy that was before Him on the cross.
You are His.
On the hard cancer days, sometimes the dark thoughts of cancer can block our view of Christ.
On the hard days, we have to learn to see what is unseen. This is hope.
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. Romans 8:24-25
▶ Circle the word “hope” each time it
appears in the verses above.
▶ How many times does “hope” appear?
_____________________________________
▶ What is the last word in these verses?
_____________________________________
I love these verses! There’s a lot of hope in there!
These verses push me to hope for more than I can see, and to imagine the blessings Christ has in store for me.
Excerpt from Finding Hope in Your Cancer Journey
“Finding Hope in Your Cancer Journey” is used in Christian cancer support groups and one-to-one peer counseling sessions to encourage cancer family members to discover all that Christ hungers to give them in the midst of their cancer struggle. Beyond their salvation, many Christian seek peace and comfort from Christ during difficult times. But Jesus wants to give guidance, strength, discernment, power and courage. Finding Hope in Your Cancer Journey encourages cancer family members to pray big, love big and live big because the Lord God Almighty is big enough for all that and more. Find a Bible Study using these materials here.
