October 6
"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world …"
John 17:6a
Holy. Sacred. Revered. Each of these describes God’s name. We can keep on adding other words that begin to define who God is. We can add them forever, because the list will never be finished. God is so strong, so vast, so good, so loving, so forgiving, so …. You fill in the blanks. The descriptions are endless. And that’s the point to remember today. God’s power to help us, to heal us, to comfort us, to care for us is endless, infinite, forever. Do not forget that today – and anytime the day is rough. Go to God for your strength and hope, because God can do far more than we can comprehend.
God of endless possibilities, I look to you today from my place of limitation. I look to you because I know you can open up my heart and my understanding. I look to you with confidence, knowing you will give me infinite blessings and help. Amen.
October 7
From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
II Samuel 22:7bWhen we are likely to feel that God isn’t listening or doesn’t seem to care, scriptures like these remind us that our prayers do go somewhere. God does listen. God does care. Our cries for help, for mercy, for relief and for healing do not fall into empty space. Instead, our cries go to God and God does act to give us all that we need. Do not give up on calling out for God’s guidance and support. God’s ability to listen – and act - far exceeds our ability to understand. We need to trust in God’s ability, even when we don’t understand how vast and great it is.
I pray for the reassurance of your listening ear, O God. To know that you really do care about my needs means the world to me. Your love reassures me and motivates me. Thank you. Amen.
October 8
Be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:13b
Survivors pay special attention to their relationships and assess the health of those relationships. For authentic healing and well-being, it is essential that each of our relationships is positive, provides support, brings joy and is mutually respectful. While no relationship will ever be perfect, as no human is perfect; it becomes vitally important to nurture relationships that add to our sense of contentment and thanksgiving. Relationships that drain us, add unnecessary stress, take advantage of us or cause us pain need to be examined and changed in whatever ways are possible. Healing is greatly enhanced when we are at peace. Seeking and establishing peace among those we encounter every day is a tremendous boost to our health and spirit.
Oh to be at peace with everyone in my life. O God, it’s often so very hard to do. But peace is your name. So I come to you to show me the way to establish your peace, in your name, today. Amen.
October 9
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matthew 5:6
The search for what is right, for what is good and for what is eternally true is a noble and worthwhile search. Because when we look for these wonderful gifts from God we will begin to find them. Throughout the cancer journey there is so much we can discover that is wrong, that is bad and that is uncertain. Finding those things only leaves us diminished and discouraged. But the search for the very real presence of God in our lives, a search for blessings and wonders that we begin to discover are far too numerous to number, will fill us with hope, with promise and with increasingly positive expectations. In that we find our spirits lifted and our outlook greatly improved.
Too often I’m looking at what is difficult and overlooking what is going well in this journey. My need today, O God, is to have a clearer vision of the countless things you are doing to help me find authentic healing every day. Amen.
October 10
The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.
2 Samuel 22:47
To believe in a God who actively cares for us provides a deep well of support. When we hold onto the promise that God loves us and only wants the best for us, we are able to tap into a stream of hope that refreshes and revives us in untold ways. When we nurture a trust in God’s ability to be a steadfast source of help and in God’s desire to offer us recovery and deliverance, we begin to experience blessings and joy we never understood before.
When I rely on your helping, healing presence to guide my days, I am filled with greater hope than ever before, dear God. I resolve today to place my trust in you, the strongest foundation I can find. Amen.
October 11
No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Matthew 5:15
It is essential that we share the blessings we have been given. It is in sharing that we receive far more than we give. In a dark and difficult world, it is far too easy to see only the disappointments and frustrations around us. But that only makes our vision darker. Yet when we allow the light that does pierce the darkness to shine from us and through us, we change not only our own outlook, but also begin to influence the understandings of those around us. There are untold blessings in our midst. We can illuminate them and allow them to illuminate us to see the greater hope that God provides.
You put a light within me, O God, which warms and helps me every day. Even when I travel through this valley of illness, I realize I can help to shine that light all around me. As you bless me, help me to be a blessing to others in return. Amen.
October 12
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.
Matthew 4:16
Darkness quickly descends on our spirits when cancer enters our lives. But darkness doesn’t have to remain. God reaches out to us to –• give clarity to us,
• take fear from us,
• present peace of mind to us,
• offer direction for us, and
• bring healing to us.
God holds out a light and shines it before us to show us that we do not have to stumble and stagger into a dark and forbidding void. Instead we can begin to walk assuredly into a brand new and brighter day.
God of brighter days, when I am low and discouraged, I need your light to shine in the darkness of my soul. Pierce my doubts. Push away my disappointments. Protect me from my despair. Amen.
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