God is Good! by Karen Wonders
Written by Karen Wonders
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Psalm 103:1-5 ESV).
When I first met Miranda, she had just been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She was given a six percent chance of survival. She was afraid. She thought that at any moment, she was going to die. As her cancer progressed, her husband became distant. Her children grew angry. Miranda felt as though God had abandoned her. She struggled to make sense of it all. How could a good God let something like this happen to her? Didn’t He love her? Didn’t He care about what happened to her family? If He was really in control, why didn’t He protect her? Was God really who He said He was?
Miranda was in crisis—not only physically, but spiritually, as well. How can someone cope when it seems as though their world is crashing down around them?
God’s Word begins with His perfect plan for His creation. That plan was good. It included life and fellowship and beauty. Yet just three short chapters later, sin entered the world. We, as humans, turned our backs on God. We refused to let Him be the Lord of our lives. The effects of sin touch everything around us. In essence, the world is broken. Nothing works the way it should. And deep down, we know it. That’s why things like cancer and death are so hard. We weren’t meant for mortality. We were made for eternal life!
Even though we live in a broken world—a world where moms get cancer—I believe with my whole heart that God is still good. He is still trustworthy. He is still worthy of our praise. You see, even though we turned our backs on God in the garden, He didn’t leave us! His love for us is so great that He laid aside His own glory to enter into our world. As a man, He experienced this broken world with us. Imagine, the Maker of the stomach feeling the pangs of hunger! (See John 5.) He can sympathize with us in our weakness because He understands what it means to feel weak. He can be trusted in our sufferings, because He suffered!
When your world seems to be crashing down around you, remind yourself of God’s goodness. Don’t let a hard time affect your spirit. Turn your despair into songs of praise! Literally—sing out loud! Pray! Attend a church service or small group meeting with a fellow believer! God is who He says He is, and He can be trusted with your pain!
Pray: Father God, You understand our weaknesses and promise that in them we will see Your strength. We pray for Your help to trust Your Word and the courage to believe that You are good, even when our world is crashing in all around us. Forgive us for our doubts and give us eyes to see Your goodness. We love You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Your Turn: Where is there evidence of God’s goodness in your life?
Karen Y. Wonders, PhD, FACSM, Cancer Caregiver
Karen is the Founder and CEO of Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, and Professor/Program Director of Exercise Physiology at Wright State University. Her passion is to advocate for exercise as part of the national standard of care for cancer. Her non-profit organization provides free exercise training to thousands of cancer survivors every month (www.mapletreecanceralliance.org). Dr. Wonders and her husband have 7 children—aged 16 and younger. If you think her hands are full, you should see her heart!
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.
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