November 17
O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
Psalm 3:1
We are all bombarded by challenges to our well-being. Every day the enemies of health and peace assault us. We confront the forces of pain and feel our strength diminish within us. There are days when it simply overwhelms us. We wonder if we can go on, if the struggle is worth it in the end. Taking our fears and burdens to God is the best thing we can do. Calling out to the One who is already at work equipping us for the challenge enables us to begin summoning the resources to confront the assault and meet it in the most healing way.
It’s very easy to think that everything is going against me some days. I often have trouble seeing beyond that to better days. Help me moment by moment, dear God, to recognize the power you give me to rise above the trouble and to see the hope. Amen.
November 18
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians 3:14
An attitude that above all else is based on love is an essential healing component. Love has a positive outlook. Love looks for what is right. Love strives for goodness. Love puts aside bitterness and resentment. Love reaches out in compassion. Love reflects God’s grace. Love kindles hope. Love concerns itself with service. Love listens actively and responds in kindness. Love embraces faith. Love casts aside judgments. Love soothes a troubles soul. Love makes the journey worthwhile. Love is a balm that helps put the pieces back together again.
Creator of Love, help me to allow the love you have for me be a healing presence within me today. I pray that love, which endures all things, will help me to overcome all my worries and concerns. Amen.
November 19
Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
Genesis 1:3
God does not desire for us to live in fear or uncertainty. Cancer can surely cause us to fall into the depths of darkness and despair. But God’s will for us is to shine a light on our path, illuminating our way. With God we do not have to stumble or wander aimlessly, not knowing in which direction to go. With God we are given hope and the grace to find our way with resolve and confidence. With God we can meet each day, each challenge and each detour with the assurance that we are never alone and are always given a light to guide us to where we need to be.
When darkness overtakes me, O Lord, I call to you for help and reassurance. Shine your warming, redirecting light as a beacon for my way. Amen.
November 20
And I will grant peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one shall make you afraid; I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword shall go through your land.
Leviticus 26:6
Throughout the scriptures it is repeated again and again – God desires to save us from the destructive, dangerous and difficult forces within and around us. God’s only desire is for us to find peace, to reside without fear, to protect us from harm and to keep us from division. When disease threatens us with pain and peril, we need to remember God’s promises. God wants neither for us to suffer nor for us to live in hopelessness and despair. God plans only for our well-being and our relief. Claim those promises today. Live believing they are for you.
O God our help in ages past and our hope in days to come, I place my life in your hands, trusting in your overwhelming love to carry me through. Amen.
November 21
"Whatever you ask in prayer with faith, you will receive."
Matthew 21:22
If we want something to work for us the first and most essential step is to believe it will work. If we believe that establishing a connection with God through prayer can give us strength, guidance and vision, it surely will. As we put our trust in the power of God to show us a better way, we will surely find a better way to face the challenges that confront us. Connecting with the power of eternity that God gives us helps us profoundly to see answers we could never see on our own. Believing that God has only the best in mind for us will encourage and energize us beyond imagination. Putting our trust in a divine authority will enable us to discover renewed hope for each new day.
In confidence I reach out to you, Lord, to show me the direction you want me to go. I know you want only the best for my life. I look to you in faith today to help me understand what all that means for me. Amen.
November 22
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:25
There are at least two very important lessons here. The first is that worry does us no good. Worry indicates a lack of trust in God’s care for us and a lack of confidence in our own ability to create an atmosphere of healing. The second is that to create an atmosphere of healing we need to be aware of more than just our physical condition. Survivors understand that all the aspects of our nature – mental, emotional, spiritual, as well - must align together to produce the conditions for strength to build, for energy to return and for health to restore. We cannot find authentic healing without that integration. God has created us that way.
In my darker moments I allow my fears to get the best of me. When I do, O God, I realize I need to regain my trust in myself and in you. Help me to use all the gifts you’ve given me to heal. Amen.
November 23
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 6:26
Realizing our significance in God’s eyes is an important part of creating the best conditions for healing. Understanding our valued place in God’s kingdom is one of the most vital gifts we can give ourselves. Knowing how much God wants us to believe we are created in a divine image can change our outlooks in many positive ways. When we comprehend how much God loves us and wants to help us, our lives are renewed and transformed. We are changed for the better when we believe inherently that God cares for us deeply and that God’s only will is for us to have only the best of life and love.
My value in your eyes is ultimately impossible for me to understand, dear Lord. The love you have for me is far more deep and strong than I can ever know. But as I grow more aware, I thank you for the way it gives me hope and new life. Amen.
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