May 5

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
     Matthew 6:34

Worry can be our constant companion – if we allow it to be. Worry about our situation, about what is to come or about any number of “what ifs” can dominate our thoughts. Worry can overwhelm our lives. A key survivor’s task is to resist the power of worry. The task is to place each challenge in perspective. It is to give no concern more authority than it deserves. It is to allow God to shoulder the burdens with us. It is to live believing we do not have to carry the burdens alone.When I cling to burdens that are too heavy for me to carry, remind me, dear God, that I don’t need to shoulder them alone. Help me to allow you to carry them for me instead. Amen.


May 6

“Do you want to be made well?”
     John 5:6b

The first question to ask ourselves when we are confronted with cancer is: do we truly want to be well? Wanting it, desiring it, longing for it is the first step toward healing. With the goal established and the outcome we’re seeking made clear, then we can begin the process of mapping the route we need to take to get there. The will to be well is utterly necessary for us to create wellness in our lives.

Strengthen my resolve to seek all that it takes to be well, O God. Inspire in me the will to find the wholeness I need. Amen.


May 7

“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.”
     Matthew 7:7

It is essential for us to take an active part in our survival and healing. God certainly reaches out to us to offer all that we need. But we have to make a dynamic effort to work with God in understanding what we need, in looking for solutions and answers and in taking the initiative to walk into the new opportunities God provides for us along the way.

Dear God, I realize that I have a significant role to play in my own well-being. Remind me that I am your partner and that when I work actively with you I can find all I need. Amen.


May 8

“I called to the Lord out of my distress, and God answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.”
     Jonah 2:2

Distress is a familiar partner to cancer. We often feel as if we have fallen into a bottomless pit, the Sheol about which the author of Jonah writes. But no matter how deep the pit is or no matter how long we feel we have been swallowed up by it, we can never fall out of God’s earshot or sight. God knows our every high and our every low, our every moment of joy and our every moment of despair. Let us hold onto this truth, especially in times of deepest distress. For God is able to reach out to help us no matter where we find ourselves.

Just as you delivered Jonah when he was swallowed up, deliver us, O Lord, from the pit of despair. Help us to hear your voice no matter where are. Amen.


May 9


“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
     Luke 6:21

God promises that we will be given everything we need. Even though we may crave for relief or fulfillment and even though we may mourn and lament our circumstances, these words reveal to us these circumstances are only temporary. While our pain and distress may seem endless, we are assured an end will come to them. These words are given to share with us the hope of relief and release that will surely be ours.Sometimes I can’t see the end of my dis-ease in sight. But you reassure me, O God, that there is an end in store. Give me strength to hold on to greet that day. Amen.


May 10

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
     Philippians 4: 8

The impact of our thoughts is of deep significance to our well-being. When we put our focus and energy on what is wrong in our lives we do nothing but stand against something. But when we put our attention on all that is good, on all that is right, we change our attitude and our lives. An attitude of joy and gratitude will always enable us to do so much more than one of opposition and defiance.

I thank you, Lord, for the infinite ways in which my life is good. When I focus on them I see my life in a more positive and triumphant way. Amen.


May 11

On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
     Psalm 138:3

Just by reaching out to God in prayer, we open our hearts, minds, spirits and souls to a connection that offers us hope and help beyond our deepest understandings. When we call to God, we immediately unite with a divine purpose. We instantly transcend the limitations of our human nature and join with an eternal nature that rises above our every concern and fear.

God, in this moment when I call to you, I know you are already at work answering and guiding me. Help me to be open to your responses. Help me to know and to listen to your eternal voice. Amen.