August 25
Ground that drinks up the rain falling on it repeatedly, and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
Hebrews 6:7
God constantly reaches out to us to bless and guide us. Over and over again, God calls to us, responds to us and offers us the answers we need. God showers us with refreshing help and renewing energy, even when we don’t realize it. Our job is to have the open eyes, the listening ears, the willing hearts and the receptive spirits to absorb all the grace and goodness God pours down. With cancer it’s easy to feel as if God isn’t concerned about us. But with mindfulness and resolve to observe the tremendous blessings in our lives, we can see indeed that our thirst for healing and new life is truly quenched by God.
Gracious God, you are infinitely more generous than I can even begin to know. I forget that much too quickly. On this day help me to be reminded of your amazing love and care. Amen.
August 26
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge.
II Samuel 22:3a
Our spiritual beliefs need to under gird all that we do on the cancer journey. They are paramount. They give us a spirit of triumph, a basis for hope. As important as medicine, attitude, a support system, diet and exercise are – and they are all essential and valuable components – holding onto a belief in a God who loves and actively cares for us is even more valuable. Knowing that we are held in the highest and most gracious regard by God can give us a confidence and resolve that only enhances the value of every other resource in our lives. The love and help of God never waver nor wane. God is a rock that never crumbles beneath us.
Dear God, you are the one thing in this world that never changes with time. You are always constant, always strong and always with us, no matter what. I really can depend on you anytime and in any situation and I am deeply grateful for that. Amen.
August 27
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3
God has a special outreach to those of us whose souls are empty and whose spirits are tired. God, through the continuum of time, has made it abundantly clear that the health of our spirits and souls are of supreme essence and divine importance. There is nothing of greater significance than God’s concern that we possess all the resources of the heart and mind to believe in our healing and our future. God deeply wants us to know the joys inherent in experiencing amazing hope, abundant joy and abiding peace, which give us entrance now into the kingdom for which we have been created to live.
A better life is what you have offered me, O God. I hold onto this offer especially when I am most uncertain and insecure. I ask for a glimpse of your kingdom to be alive in me today. Amen.
August 28
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
II Samuel 22:4
Cancer is a formidable enemy. All the treatments, tests and time it takes to confront this enemy are a huge drain on our lives. But we must always recount how powerfully present God is in the midst of the enemies around us. God is present to enable us to face with confidence the daily challenges we face. When we make the conscious effort to remember God’s goodness, we will have more blessings to praise than we can reasonably count, and we will possess the resources we need to confront the enemies without and within.
I have too many enemies to deal with on too many days and I can’t deal with them alone. So, I know you are with me to help me face them unafraid. For that I give you gratitude and praise. Amen.
August 29
Your words have supported those who were stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.
Job 4:4
Hope can pick us up when we are down. Hope can give us strength when we feel weak. Hope in the form of promises from the one eternal and divine source of goodness and light can mean everything to those who trust and believe in them. God’s promises, as evidenced in the scriptures, have come true since the beginning of time. God’s promises still come true today, because God’s love and grace for us never changes. God’s promises of new life, new spirits, new understandings, new attitudes, new answers and new help are offered to us without fail every day. They seek to renew and restore us in countless ways.
Dear God, in my vulnerability I often forget your promises. But today I strive to remember them and to allow their renewing strength to wash over me with hope and grace. Amen.
August 30
O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you, I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
Isaiah 25:1
In an ever-changing and volatile world, it’s easy to be overwhelmed and confused. In the world of cancer there are so many conflicting and confounding voices telling us what to do. When the cacophony begins, it is essential to step back to remember the eternal, ever-consistent, unfailingly faithful nature of God. Think seriously about the blessings that have come to you. Recall the ways and times in which you have received something vital just when you needed it. Remember what God has done for you in the past and what God has done for you already on this today. As you take this time you will be amazed at what is being done within you and for you.
As I reflect on the goodness that truly does come into my life, Dear God, I am humbled and awed. You do bless me in profound and perfect ways. My gratitude is deep and lasting. Amen.
August 31
Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10
The kingdom of God as the scriptures describe it is a perfect, holy place. It is a place where peace and joy reign and where healing and wholeness abound. It’s a place where the disease, violence, suffering, poverty, uncertainty and horrors of this world no longer afflict us. The scriptures also tell us that we can begin to realize and experience glimpses of that kingdom in this world, beginning now. When we place our trust and hope in the vision of the kingdom and when we allow God to work through us to help create the kingdom, God’s will is done – beginning now, beginning here, beginning today.
Give me a clearer vision of your kingdom, O God, and help me to see how it is already alive in my life. Even in my disease and my distress, help me to know the kingdom is real and will continue to come. Amen.
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