The Powerful Hope in Peace

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

I had my own brush with cancer this year. Ironically enough it was the same cancer that killed my sweet friend Jenny. On March 1 I was diagnosed with colon cancer. You would have to know me to appreciate how surprised we were to receive the diagnosis. Just suffice it to say that my teenage children made this comment when they were adjusting to the news: “Mom, it must be all that healthy food you’re always feeding us!”

If you’ve ever heard the words, “You’ve got cancer,” you know what follows. Your life flashes before you (for me that included high school graduations, college dorm decorating, weddings, and grandchildren), and you grieve the normalcy of life you just lost. When Dr. Caudill wrapped his arm around my shoulder and shared those words with me I cried.

You might have hoped that God gave me a “word” and that I smiled and quoted it aloud to my medical friends. But that’s not what happened. For fifteen minutes I wept like a baby.

But as soon as my husband and I got in the car, a deep peace rose up in me like the tide rising around a Caribbean island. The peace that passes all understanding swallowed up my tears. When peace moved in I didn’t know much. I didn’t know if I would live or die. I didn’t know if the cancer had spread. I didn’t know what tests I would have to take or what appointments I would be making or canceling.

But what I did know put all that I didn’t know into its place. I knew that God was on His throne. I knew that He was still good and I was still loved. I knew that Jesus took care of death for me a long time ago on an old rugged cross. And I knew that He was with me every step of the way.

Tom and I prayed. I dried my tears and we drove home.

Dear Lord, I want to rejoice in You always, not just when things are going well. Give me the strength to trust and hope in You when times are bad. Hold me close to You so that I will feel Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.