Doctor and patient.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. “ Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
I heard the words, “Yes, it is cancer.” The floor fell out under my feet. I was absolutely shocked. I’m only 39. The first few days of a cancer diagnosis can be described as emotional chaos and confusion. My mind was flooded with so many questions about cancer and all it will entail. But one thing was for sure. I knew I needed God because only God is bigger than cancer.
Philippians 4:6 seemed to be everywhere- my devotional, in sermons, from friends and even social media posts. God says, “Don’t worry….” How can that be a reasonable request? How is that possible? It’s cancer! We all know what cancer can do.
The first thing it does is steal your peace.
This verse in simple words tells us infinitely more than what we take just off the surface. God says, “Don’t worry…” Why? Because he knows what we don’t. He knows the answers to our questions. He knows our future. But even better he knows his will and his plan for us.
He says, “pray about everything…” and “tell him what you need”. That quite literally means absolutely everything and when dealing with cancer there is an enormous amount of things to pray for. But in reality, we aren’t asking him to answer
those prayers. He already knows what we need- it’s his job, and he will do his job.
Praying about everything to him shows him our trust and it shows him we know he is the one that can take care of all those little and big issues that plague our every thought. Prayer keeps our eyes on the problem solver when the problem, cancer, wants all our attention. “Thank him for all that he has done.”
Past tense for God is different than it is for us. For us it means everything up to today. But for God it includes the future. He has already done what we need, when we need it and completed our healing.
We just haven’t lived to that day on the calendar yet. So yes, thank him, because he deserves it and he will reveal all of that to you as you walk this journey.
Take a moment and write down all you need and then write down all you are thankful for.
