Never Let Hope Go

So many people I know are going through divorce, have lost their jobs, death of loved ones or cancer and other illnesses. Often these times like this brings questions like 'Why did God allow this to happen?' 'Why doesn't He fix it?'

Questions like this are probably the most common questions people who don’t know God might ask. If you are a Christian, hopefully you have been taught to hope in God, to have faith in God. As I think back over my life, I am so grateful that I know the Lord. My faith in God gives me hope. Hope that things will get better, hope for healing. Hope that God will be with me when tough times come. I cannot imagine how anyone can survive hardship without Hope, without God, without His Word and faith in Christ who brings Hope.  (Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 39:7, Psalm 71:5)

Cancer is no different. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, after my daughter's passing with breast cancer, it was my hope and faith in God that enabled me to get through. Without hope, the thought of facing the treatments, the fears, the frustrations would be unbearable.

While going through cancer, there are times when you can clearly see God working in your life. Then, the side effects come, or loved ones become distant, or maybe test results are discouraging, and it can be easy to wonder, “Is God really, there? Is He in control of my cancer?” The answer is YES! There is no doctor's office, no chemo chair, radiation room, or lonely night where God is not with you.
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Do not let the pain, and fear that can come during treatment replace your knowledge that God loves you; that He is there, large and in charge. Large because He is bigger than the doctor's report. Large because He bigger than the chemo, and the radiation. He loves you so much that if you need Him to He will send His angels rock you to shield the pain and rock you to sleep at night. God does not want to see you, His beloved child suffer. God hurts when you hurt and weeps when you weep.

Yes, cancer can throw a monkey wrench in your plans. Before the diagnosis, you had career plans, retirement plans. You have plans for your marriage, your family and now those plans have shifted to include the demands of cancer. As you know, cancer can be very demanding of your time, energy, focus, and emotions. It brings us face-to-face with the knowledge that we truly have no control in our lives, but cancer does not affect God's control of your life.

Look at Romans 8:28:
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. 
 
Not all things that we encounter is good. Cancer and sickness is not good. The death of a child is not good. Drug addiction is not good, Divorce is not good. War is not good. This verse is saying that God will work even the bad for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. God uses ALL things. God will somehow use low cell counts, nausea and fatigue, pain, regret, loneliness, and fear for good.

Think of this. Many of us sprinkle table salt on our food. Salt is made up of both sodium and chloride. By itself, sodium is a deadly poison, and so is chloride. Put them together, and you have table salt. Salt gives flavor to food, and a certain amount of salt is necessary for health and life. We cannot live without any salt in our system. This is God's wisdom, to create our bodies this way.

God can take bad things and somehow through His wisdom and love and work them together for good. Doesn't mean He brought them, just means He uses them to bring for us and others. Romans 8:28 gives us the glorious, wonderful promise that He will do so.

Is it still hard for you to imagine God using cancer for good? Understand that it's not your job to figure out how God will work it all for good. That's God's job. Your job is to trust and rest in the loving arms of your Heavenly Father. God's glory will somehow be REVEALED through YOU. All praises go to Him. HALLELUJAH.

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