“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91: 14-16
These verses are so simple yet so deep. I’m in crisis. I need God. He promises to answer me just because I love him, as imperfect as I am. In truth, that’s all I need.
But when you are facing cancer, it’s hard to get that understanding from your heart and into your mind. Our minds are a beautiful thing but our minds can be our own worst enemy. Every time I had a doctor’s appointment, my anxiety would take over. Every time the thoughts of cancer snuck back into my mind my anxiety triggered. If there was a headline, an advertisement on social media, or someone said that word, it was like I’d forgotten or even doubted that this promise is still unbroken. I had to read and reread these verses over and over. I had to even place my name into the verses. Or even just repeat a part of this verse to calm my nerves. I found God did, in fact, satisfy me. Those moments passed and I was still okay. This was yet another example of how God lets me experience his answer. He is showing me his salvation for it’s not simply that I will go to heaven when I die. Salvation is all who God is and all he does for us, the full extent of his loving nature.
This verse answers most of our questions- is God with me? Will he help me? It can be hard to accept these answers because they aren’t as specific of an answer as we want, but this is the answer that we need. And God knows what we need.
Take a moment and write this verse using your own name. Read it and read it again. Carry it with you as a note or in some way you can refer to it when your anxiety is getting the best of you.
Taryn O’Brien-Ogg