December 8
There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
Psalm 4:6
Sometimes, when we ourselves doubt whether God is reaching out to us in our distress, there are others who encourage us. Sometimes, when the seeds of uncertainty are planted and we question our course and our direction, others can remind us of God’s care. Sometimes, when we are too close to our problems and fears to clearly see the way before us, others can help us to know more of the story and see the larger picture. When our own fears undermine our confidence and erode our assurance, the support of others, who remind us that God is in our midst, can give us the hopeful perspective we need.
O God, I thank you for those in my life who can see you at work when I just can’t. Help me to recognize their confidence in your actions and to follow their lead back to you. Amen.
December 9
…I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint.
Habakkuk 2:1b
Waiting to discern God’s answers to our prayers has always been hard for people to do. We wonder if God is really listening or if God really cares. Especially when things are going wrong and we grumble and criticize, we wait impatiently and often lose hope. This passage assumes God is listening and will answer. While assuming in any other way is dangerous and foolish, assuming that God will answer us is not. God will answer, no matter how difficult the request or how harsh the complaint. This passage conveys that promise. It asserts with confidence that all we need to do is ask and look – and God’s response will be revealed in just the way we need.
I have many doubts about whether you care or not, O God. On a regular basis I think you do not listen to my concerns. Yet on a regular basis you reveal to me over and over again that you do answer me. Remind my doubting heart of that again and again today. Amen.
December 10
O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
Psalm 5:3
How have you started this new day? Are you beginning with an attitude of dread and regret? Are you looking ahead to the challenges before you with anxiety and fear? Are you looking back on yesterday with disappointment and discontent? With what attitude are you facing this date in your life? Do you assume you must face the road alone, without help or support, relying on your uncertain knowledge and strength? Or do you look at this day as an opportunity to put your trust in the certainty of God’s loving, caring hands, hands that are reaching out to you?
Before I try to go on one minute more on just my own power, I know I must look to you and your power to find the lasting help I need. You are a blessing to me and I need you more and more each day. And in my need I find I am more and more blessed each day. Thank you, O God. Amen.
December 11
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9
Peace and healing are closely related. To establish peace we must mend the brokenness in and around us. To maintain peace we must create the conditions that foster a continuing healthy environment. To find healing we must create an atmosphere of peace in all parts of our lives. Within our minds, throughout our bodies and by our spirits, we need to foster a deepening sense of contentment and fulfillment. When we do we transform our circumstances and our pathway. We set ourselves on a better path, the more positive path we need.
The peace I most need, O God, is peace within my own soul. Help me to find the very real satisfaction I am looking for. When I do I know I will be on a brighter journey of healing and hope. Amen.
December 12
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Psalm 7:17
Cancer survivors understand that gratitude is at the very heart of creating an atmosphere of healing. Survivors know that it is essential to be in the right state of mind to focus on hope for the journey. They believe that living thankfully and appreciatively is a profound requirement for achieving the state of well-being they seek. Being mindful of the need to find goodness and count blessings is ever-present in a survivor’s life. They focus on what is right and what is good, what is positive and what is eternal. They look beyond temporary setbacks to seek evidence of lasting answers and help. When they do they find the evidence they need.
The more I look for the blessings you give me, dear God, the more I see signs and wonders of your amazing love. Every time I realize one good thing you do, I come to recognize there are so many more good things than I never knew before. Thank you for compounding the blessings in my life. Amen.
December 13
We grope like the blind along a wall, groping like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight, among the vigorous as though we were dead.
Isaiah 59:10
When we attempt to make this journey on our own, we just cannot do it well. We have been created by a loving God who does not want us to carry the burdens all alone. God desperately wants us to rely on divine power to help us with those things that are too hard, too complicated or too vast for us to understand. We have not been created to be perfect or strong all the time. We do not know all the secrets of the universe, nor do we need to. God is big enough to handle everything we cannot. When we begin to understand and accept that – and to rely on God’s power for the things we are unable to do, we become free to enjoy the benefits of God’s guidance and the strength of God’s arms to carry us through.
All knowing God, in my ignorance and willfulness I try to do more than I am able to do on my own. But it only gets me in trouble and keeps me from being my best. I know you are here to help me. And today I know I need to trust more in you. Amen.
December 14
… “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”
Matthew 26:52
If our reaction to cancer or to trouble of any kind is to hold on to anger and to react with resentment and bitterness, we will reap much of the same in return. If we create an atmosphere of negativity and despair we will surely find negativity and despair filling our lives. But, if we choose – and it is a choice – to look at our challenges as opportunities to change, to learn and to rise above them, we can accomplish amazing things. Our lives and health can be transformed when we decide to create an atmosphere of joy, gratitude and well-being instead. We have been given the power to choose. What will your choice be?
Thank you, gracious God, for putting within me the power to live a life of thanksgiving and wonder. Thank you for allowing me to choose and for showing me how to choose what is good and best. Today I look for your wisdom to show me how to make the right choices for my life. Amen.
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