It’s that time again. My annual cancer screenings are scheduled every June around the date of my initial resection surgery. I still have blood tests and see my oncologist every six months but once a year, I have a CT scan and colonoscopy to be sure the cancer is gone for good.
At first, I followed up with my surgeon and saw my oncologist for lab results every three months, then four, then six. I’ve seen four years pass in the blink of an eye. Many things have changed since my diagnosis. The best one is that I have four grandchildren rather than just one on the way, but One thing remains the same. God is my Healer and Sustainer and I trust Him with my life!
I am thankful to my physician team and to every caregiver. I am grateful for their skills and for the time and effort they invest in obtaining and maintaining them. They are tools in the hand of the Great Physician. They were brilliant in their roles but healing belongs to the Lord.
“He holds the life of every creature in his hand.
He controls the breath of every human being.”
Job 12:10 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/job.12.10.NIRV
My husband is a surgeon. This was an important lesson for him to learn early in his career. He would come home to his young wife and children with the weight of the world on his shoulders. When life hung in the balance, his heart would break. It still does, but knowing the One who gives life, the only One who decides when it begins and ends, has given him such peace and purpose. He recognizes that what each patient entrusts to him is a life formed in the image of his or her Creator. He is free to be a tool God uses for His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
When someone shares details of an ailment, particularly one with ongoing symptoms, our first response may be to ask if they’ve seen a doctor. We may even offer to pray with them over their concerns, but how often do we ask them if they’ve prayed about it? This simple question could provide an opportunity to discern where their trust lies. Either way, we have an opportunity to point to Jesus as the Source of all healing, comfort, and peace.
King Asa ruled in Judah for forty-one years. For thirty-five years, according the the fourteenth and fifteenth chapters of Second Chronicles, he trusted God with his whole heart. He removed idols built by his father and grandmother and renewed the worship of God. People from the northern kingdom, Israel, defected to Judah. They came to Jerusalem in droves to be under the blessing and protection of the Lord Almighty. Somehow in year thirty-six, something changed.
“At that time Hanani the prophet came to Asa, the king of Judah.
He said to him, “You trusted the king of Aram. You didn’t trust in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Aram has escaped from you.
The people of Cush and Libya had a strong army. They had large numbers of chariots and horsemen.
But you trusted in the Lord. So he handed them over to you.
The Lord looks out over the whole earth.
He gives strength to those who commit their lives completely to him.
You have done a foolish thing.
From now on you will be at war.”
Asa was angry with the prophet because of what he had said.
In fact, he was so angry he put him in prison.
At the same time, Asa treated some of his own people very badly.
The events of Asa’s rule from beginning to end are written down.
They are written in the records of the kings of Judah and Israel.
In the 39th year of Asa’s rule his feet began to hurt.
The pain was terrible.
But even though he was suffering, he didn’t look to the Lord for help.
All he did was go to the doctors.”
2 Chronicles 16:7-12 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/2ch.16.9-12.NIRV
For two chapters and three and a half decades, Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord. He prayed powerful prayers, challenging the people to put their trust in the Lord their God. I find it interesting that God revealed the Truth found in verse nine of the prophet Hanani’s message under such circumstances.
“The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
What a fool you have been!
From now on you will be at war.””
2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/2ch.16.9.NLT
As I’ve taught my own children and their children and others, God isn’t watching you from heaven, just waiting for you to slip up so He can punish you. Second Chronicles 16:9 teaches just the opposite. The Lord looks out over the whole earth seeking to strengthen anyone who is fully committed to Him. God sees your heart. He knows your thoughts, what motivates you, your deepest desires. Nothing is hidden from His sight. When He sees you honoring Him with your actions, when He observes you taking every wayward thought captive, and when He hears you acknowledging Jesus before men, He floods you with more strength. Each act of obedience empowers the next as you abide in Him.
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere.
They watch those who are evil and those who are good.”
Proverbs 15:3 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/pro.15.3.NIRV
Where do you get your strength? Do you rely on your morning coffee or protein smoothie to get you going? Can your workout routine or your life coach or your church membership keep you on the straight and narrow? Will resolve, a positive attitude or self care keep you strong till the end?
“I look up to the mountains.
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord.
He is the Maker of heaven and earth.
He won’t let your foot slip.
He who watches over you won’t get tired.
In fact, he who watches over Israel won’t get tired or go to sleep.
The Lord watches over you.
The Lord is like a shade tree at your right hand.
The sun won’t harm you during the day.
The moon won’t harm you during the night.
The Lord will keep you from every kind of harm.
He will watch over your life.
The Lord will watch over your life no matter where you go, both now and forever.”
Psalm 121:1-8 NIRV
https://bible.com/bible/110/psa.121.1-8.NIRV
By all means, go to the doctor when you’re hurting. Just don’t expect them to do what only God can do. That’s an unrealistic expectation of any human. Seek the care you need but your ultimate trust should be in God who knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made!
A Fitting Reply 