In this world, we are no strangers to suffering. The Word of God tells us as much – in this world, we will have troubles. As I sit down to type this post, my heart aches with the pain of hearing about the cancer diagnosis of a friend and learning about the progression of the disease in the body of another. Sooner or later, we are all touched by the insidious, heartbreaking reality of cancer.
Cancer is a name that carries an unthinkable weight, a name we’d all prefer not to know. But it’s a name that has seeped into our lives, our families, our friendships, and our churches. It is an illness that does not discriminate, tearing through the very fabric of human life, spreading fear, pain, and uncertainty. I hate cancer, not out of bitterness or rebellion against God, but because it causes such profound suffering to those I hold dear.
Nearly seven years ago, I had my own scare when my new doctor at the time said, “the numbers from this test are high for someone your age.” I experienced a wide range of emotions in that moment, in the months ahead, and even for years after receiving the good news that I did not have cancer. Since then I have reflected on that period and wondered what God was teaching me. What did I need to learn from that experience that I would take forward with me in my ministry? To be honest, I had more questions than answers.
But I have learned through my faith that our God is not a God of chaos or disorder, nor is He the author of sickness and death. In fact, He is quite the opposite – He is a God of healing, peace, love, and eternal life. This is the God who tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
Yet, we can’t help but question, “Why? Why does cancer exist in a world fashioned by such a God?” It’s a question as old as faith itself, a cry echoed by every suffering heart throughout the ages. I don’t pretend to have the answers. After all, we “see through a glass, darkly,” not fully understanding the mind and ways of our Almighty God (1 Corinthians 13:12). But I do know this: even in our darkest hours, our God remains present. Even in the shadow of cancer, His love is undiminished.
We often find ourselves facing cancer with a sense of hopelessness, yet we must remember that our hope lies not in the temporal, but in the eternal. In our afflictions, we can find hope and strength in Christ Jesus. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:3-5, “we boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Cancer is an unwelcome intruder, but it is not the final arbiter. Our God is bigger than cancer. Our God is a God who, out of incomprehensible love, sent His Son to bear our sins and our sorrows, our sickness, and death. And in His victory over the grave, He has promised us the same: victory over death, and life everlasting.
Therefore, in the face of cancer, we are not called to despair, but to hope. We are not called to hate, but to love. We are called to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). We are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, supporting, loving, and caring for those in our midst who are battling this disease.
I hate cancer. But more than that, I love the God who promises to walk with us through every valley, to hold us in our grief, to bring beauty from ashes, and to wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4). Let us trust in Him, lean on Him, hope in Him. Even in the face of cancer, He is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).
In the midst of sorrow, there is hope. In the midst of pain, there is peace. In the midst of cancer, there is Christ. And so, as we continue this journey, let us look to Him, our Hope, our Peace, our Healer, our Savior, and our God. He is with us, and He will never forsake us. That is a promise we can stand on.
I don’t know who needed to read that today, but I know I needed to write it!
Excellent!