And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds ….
Philippians 4:7
Peace within is the crucial gift we need to face cancer and each of the challenges in our lives. Peace … in appreciating that we are loved. Peace … in knowing that we are never alone. Peace … in understanding that we are cared for. Peace in seeing tangible evidence of authentic healing grace in our lives. Allow God to work in your life to show you that peace today.
Peace. Peace. Peace. Peace. God grant me peace … of mind, of heart, of spirit, of body this day. Amen.
June 5
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer opens up the lines of communication to God, especially the listening lines. Like a little child who needs to take hold of her parent’s hand to keep from getting hurt and lost, we need to take hold of the prayer line to keep from being overwhelmed and from getting off course along life’s way. We must always allow our minds and hearts to be open to the guiding, healing, soothing voice of God. God is always holding out the way for us. We just need to listen to hear what it is.
When I close myself to hearing your voice of calm and of direction, I struggle along the way. Remind me, Voice of Hope, to keep myself open to you to find your path for me. Amen.
June 6
Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, … Ephesians 4:31
Of all the actions faith calls us to take, the act of forgiving is arguably the most difficult. Yet, it’s even harder to keep carrying on our spirits and hearts the heavy weight of resentment, the burden of sustained bitterness and the debilitating load of unresolved anger and rage. Healing, in all its forms, must start with forgiveness – the lifting from our shoulders of the pain and disappointment we feel and giving them over to God.
Dear God, I am weighed down with too many feelings that are negative and harsh. Help me to resolve them. Help me to allow them to be lifted. Help me to begin that healing today. Amen.
June 7
Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Philippians 4:6
Along the cancer journey, as in all of life itself, we too often live in a state of worry and anxiety. We take on the problems of the world and those in our own lives and don’t know how to solve them. But we have the promise that God will help us solve them, if only we turn to God to listen for the voice that will give us the discernment to face all the obstacles in our way. We can be grateful that we have this God to help us sort out the issues every day.
When I don’t know where to turn, remind me, O God, that you are the ultimate source for the answers we need. Thank you for this wonderful gift. Help us remember that your offer of help never goes away. Amen.
June 8
Now to him who is able to keep you from falling …
Jude 24a
When the bottom is dropping out, we have a source of strength that can keep us from falling all the way. God is our safety net, a very present help in times of trouble. When we feel as if we cannot find our footing again, God catches us and carries us when we cannot walk the path on our own. When we find ourselves in a free fall, there are arms already reaching out for us to lift us from our distress.
When I think about it, I do know that you have reached out to catch me before, dear God. I have been rescued in more ways than I can count. I am grateful for that and I pray for the help to remember those times more and more each day. Amen.
June 9
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest; but trouble comes.
Job 3:26
Just as with the deeply troubled Job, there are days when nothing seems right. We cannot find relief. We cannot seem to hear good news. We cannot feel the hope we seek and need. There are days when we just need to acknowledge that; days when we neither feel God’s presence nor peace. It is when we confront with honesty the dis-ease we feel, then we can begin to find the release and renewal we need.
When I confront my distress, dear God, I can begin to heal where I hurt the most. Give me the courage to be open to my difficult realities and to see clearly what I must do to know your help and relief. Amen.
June 10
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.
3 John 2
The intersection of our bodies and souls is very powerful. The health of one is related to the health of the other. When one is in distress the other manifests that distress. We need to care for both for both to be strong and well. Each of the parts of ourselves is interconnected in ways we do not fully understand. But we do know that we need to nurture those parts equally and faithfully for our health to be authentic and real.
Dear God, let me not forget to care for my body and my soul today. You made them both dependent on the other. Help me not to neglect either today. Amen.
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