-Joe Fornear
I hear it in your voices. I read it in your emails and notes. I see it in your eyes. Your cancer battle is a beat down. Mine was too. If it’s not the cancer wreaking havoc, it’s the treatments. You might be wondering, “Where are You, God?” I have wondered.
As we’ve mentioned over and over in our blogs, and in our books, if we’re feeling forsaken in the midst of pain and grief, we’re in very good company. Even Jesus felt forsaken, but you know what, He was the only one Who ever was truly forsaken. The rest of the Father’s children have just felt forsaken. Jesus literally was forsaken as our sin fell on Him and He was punished in our place. This so we would never be forsaken. He says He never leaves us, right?
When Jesus started His ministry on earth, He gave us His “mission statement.” He succinctly told us what He wanted to accomplish among us and in us. His first priority – no surprise here – was to preach the gospel, to deliver His good news (more on that good news here).
His 2nd priority? To bind up the broken-hearted. This is what He does. It’s Who He is. It’s why He came! His mission statement and promises:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners… – Isaiah 61:1
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalms 147:3
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
So, “Where is God while my heart breaks?” The answer is simple – He’s not far away – He is near! So don’t drift away from Him in disillusionment and numbness. Draw near to Him, He has drawn near to you. We can believe it because He promised, so don’t believe your emotions or lies in your head. This, my friends, is where He is while our hearts break. Meet Him at a location near you.
I have breast cancer. I start radiation treatments in 3 days. I am a strong believer with faith and trust in a loving God. My emotions run the full gammet. I just want God to tell me what to do. I’m afraid of the possibility that radiation is going to cause outbreaks of cancer through my body. I have friends urging me to go the natural therapies and forgo radiation. God does not tell me yes or no to radiation. This is my biggest misery I’m facing…whe won’t He tell me what is best so I can have peace about my decision?
Dear V, I can truly relate to you on “cures” like radiation being tough on the body. I almost hollered at the first doc who wanted me to have conventional chemo. “No, I don’t want any of that stuff!” I ended up having tons of it and the Lord used it to save my life when all the natural stuff I was doing seemed to feed my tumors and cause them to be really healthy! I also had high beam radiation that took out a big tumor on my pancreas. It had some side effects that have resolved now, but the Lord used it to save my life as well! Let me ask, have your friends ever had cancer? THey truly don’t know what they will do until they get cancer, just like me. There are millions of people who have had radiation without permanent side effects. Though there are some all-natural success stories, there are also hundreds of thousands of people who traveled and spent fortunes on all-natural and still died from their cancer. I can tell you of many of those stories! If radiation routinely caused outbreaks of cancer, no one would ever do it, and doctors wouldn’t prescribe it either because they would get sued into bankruptcy! It truly doesn’t cause that type of damage like that – don’t believe whoever is telling you that. Over time, radiology has gotten so much better at giving radiation, increasing effectiveness and dealing with side effects of it. So I encourage you to be at peace and go do the radiation the doc is suggesting. Our books that we’re sending you with our gift basket will discuss this more in depth, especially in my book, My Stronghold.
Thank you for posting this. As a woman who is battling a chronic immune illness with lots of pain and who has also become estranged by three of my four children, I many times ask God where He is and why I can’t feel His presence near to me!
SO sorry for this ongoing struggle, Leslie! Want you to know we’re praying for a breakthrough physically and relationally. It will happen.
In His Grip,
Joe