March 17
- or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Romans 1:12
We all need people of faith around us. We all need others whose perspectives and actions are a witness to positive understandings, to higher ideals and to deeper truths. We need mentors and confidants who are willing to explore with us our most fearful concerns and vulnerabilities. We need others who are willing to listen to us and love us unconditionally, to support us through what is the biggest challenge of our lives. We need others who can remind us where we stand in God’s eyes - that we are loved, forgiven, valued and held in the palms of caring, comforting hands. We are extremely blessed when we find these people of faith who will walk faithfully with us on the journey. It is great encouragement to know that we are loved and are not alone.
Dear God, I value everyone in my life who shows me the power and strength of faith. Especially when my faith wavers - and it often does - I am encouraged by those you send me who lift me up and help me through the hardest moments I have. Amen.
March 18
“... but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”
Proverbs 1:33
In a world of constant distraction, where it is seldom quiet and where we are often too busy to look above and within, we are missing something essential - the voice of God. We miss the voice whispering what is the way and the truth we need to find a renewed and healthy life. Our deepest fears grow constantly stronger when we think we have no help or no hope. But God never stops offering help or hope. It is we who do not quiet ourselves enough to listen to God, to God who only wants what is best and right for us. Our minds are able to create infinitely disastrous scenarios of what bad things might happen in the days ahead. But God calms those fears and dispels the horrors that emerge when we are left to our own devices. It is essential that we make time to hear what God is saying to us. It is our hope. It is our strength. It is our life.
Listening to your still, small voice is the greatest blessing my soul can receive, O God. Yet I don’t listen enough. Help me to quiet myself long enough today to hear you loudly and clearly. It’s exactly what I need. Amen.
March 19
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
Proverbs 3:5
There is little in this life that we can accomplish just on our own. All of us need others to teach us, encourage us, support us, guide us, counsel us and bear witness to us of more abundant ways of living. While we are each created as individuals with individual needs, abilities and responsibilities, none of us can achieve much of anything all alone. God places others in our lives to accompany us on the way. God works through them to show us what is best and what is right. With cancer, we especially need these people God gives to us. As wise as each of us may be, we all still need others to be our support and stay. They are examples of God’s love right before our eyes. We need to recognize them in our midst. We need the blessings they offer us, every day.
In my stubbornness, I don’t always accept the help that’s offered to me. In my blindness I don’t always recognize the hope when it’s here. So, I ask you today, dear God, to give me wisdom to accept and eyes to see what is best for me. Amen.
March 20
... for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Proverbs 3:26
When we worry that we cannot get through everything cancer throws at us we need to be reminded that we don’t have to get through it all alone. When we fear our all too common limitations and despair in our all too many weaknesses we tend to think that our hope is lost and our possibilities for healing are gone. We lose our confidence too easily. That’s because we forget that God is involved in our healing too. We forget that God takes an active and leading role in our well-being. But this is news we must always remember. Over and over again, we need to recall that God continuously promises us help and guidance. We need to constantly recount what God has already done for us and others to bring blessing and peace. Nothing the world throws at us can ultimately defeat us when we remember God’s presence and help - and rely on it every day.
Healing God, rescuing God, on most days my memories of your involvement in meeting my deepest needs are long and grateful. But on those days when I’m slow to remember and quick to forget I get discouraged. So my prayer today is to remember again and celebrate all that you do for me. When I do I feel so much better. Amen.
March 21
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep.
Romans 13:11a
Cancer is a call to action. It calls us to take control of the things we can change in our lives. It is a call to recognize the things that cannot change and a challenge to us to develop new ways of reacting to them. It is a call to discover where we can create healthier attitudes and eliminate destructive choices. Cancer compels us to take a good, long, hard look at ourselves and our lives. It causes us to reflect on what we’ve been missing and to decide how we can reclaim what’s been left out. It causes us to make new priorities and move beyond everything that keeps us from living fully, gratefully and joyfully. Cancer wakes us up. We have the choice to see that wake-up call as a burden or a blessing. When we chose the blessing and grasp on to it we are stronger in countless ways.
You are a God of action. You find ways, even in our distress, to teach us how we can live more abundantly. Thank you for helping me to recognize where I am asleep to the wonders of your creation and the blessings in my life. Amen.
March 22
The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
Romans 15:33
This benediction reminds us of what God wants each of us to possess - serenity, security and stability in every nuance of our lives. This expression of blessing is a statement of God’s desire to give each of us true well-being and satisfaction. God wants nothing more than for us to know the joys, wonders, grace and beauty for which we have all been created. God wants us to enjoy a glimpse of eternity beginning now and continuing fully, forever. “Amen” literally means, “So be it.” We are offered this promise, this possibility, because God wants it to be so for us. We are loved and valued that much. When we understand this tremendous divine desire for us, it can give an assurance to our spirits and souls that our healing is exactly what God wants us to have. God wants nothing less than for us to find the completeness and peace that healing of our hearts, minds and bodies brings.
I claim your desires for my healing today, O God. I reach out to take hold of your loving hands that are offering to me perfect peace. So be it. Amen.
March 23
Do not let the foreigner joined to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely separate me from his people”; and do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.”
Isaiah 56:3
Don’t let anyone tell you that God ever abandons or leaves us to face our troubles all alone. Don’t ever listen to those who claim that God does not care or that God does not act to give us all that we need. God loves us so much, so much more than we can ever really begin to understand. God never separates from us. Yes, we can separate from God through our lack of trust and faith. But never will God pull back from offering us the grace, guidance, support and help that will save us from the ravages of disease and despair. God wants us to experience healing and relief. God wants us to know the joy of this life and world. God wants us to be welcomed into the eternal arms of love and peace. No matter what we are going through, we need to know that God is with us to show us the way of healing and release.
I often feel as if I am separated from you, O God. When things don’t go the way I hope or when I feel overwhelmed by my circumstances, I need to know without a doubt that you really are with me. Please help me to see that you care, especially when I forget. Amen.
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