I have cancer! When the doctor suggested it was a real possibility following a second mammogram, I was shell shocked. Then came an ultrasound and a needle biopsy. When I received the final diagnosis, I was better prepared. I had spent several days processing the idea, and I was prayed up and ready for the verdict.

They call cancer the Big C, but I have a bigger C—Christ. Jesus Christ to be precise. He’s got this—Jehovah Rapha—my healer!

Daughters-in-law Heather, who is a radiation therapist, and Kandee, who is a nurse, along with granddaughter Kaity, who was there for moral support, accompanied me to the doctor to get the results. They were the ears I needed during a stressful situation. What a blessing to have your own personal health care team!

The entire episode was surreal. We had fun in the waiting room just chatting. Then came the meeting with the doctor and nurse navigator. We prayed, and the meeting began. They were all very supportive and encouraging. The nurse gave me a pretty book with all the information I would ever need on breast cancer—and then some. Follow up appointments with an oncologist and a surgeon were scheduled.

As we left the office, my family was trying their best to be encouraging, but the Lord beat them to it. I was overcome with peace—that peace the scripture tells us about—the kind that transcends our understanding. I knew my prayer warriors were busy. I had cancer—but it was going to be o.k. Perhaps I was still numb, but I’m confident that the Lord and his angels were the real source of peace.

A devotional thought from Guideposts really hit home. John Dilworth wrote about his experiences with a man named Paul who was on the church’s prayer list for a very long time. Paul, it seems, had commented to him on one of his visits, “When I see the power of God lifting me to deal with each day, and he is using others to help me, I can say it’s not all that big a deal.”

Not that big a deal. I suppose that’s one of the big reasons I am at peace. I have “walked through the valley of the shadow of death” when I lost my husband Gerry and my grandson Garrett. I have walked with Him through a broken neck and debilitating back pain that resulted in surgery. I have seen Him repeatedly take care of me. I can trust him!

His Word reminds me often that He is taking care of me. Praise the Lord I can trust HIM!

“Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4 NLT)

“And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20 NKJV)

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

My Pastor Mike Motley spoke recently on spiritual warfare. That’s what I’m in—a battle with Satan. One point in his sermon really hit home. Our battles are really in the spiritual realm—not the physical. Satan wants to kill us, but the Lord is our protection!

I am reading the book This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. If you have not read it, please do! Though fiction, it gives a vivid picture of what goes on behind the scenes between angels and demons as Satan tries to destroy us.

Pastor Mike made another very important point as he quoted the late Adrian Rogers: “We as Christians fight not FOR victory but FROM it!” The battle has already been won. We just need to declare it as our Savior did:

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

The victory has been won! It is ours for the asking!

To be honest, it is easy to sink into despair when faced with a big challenge—whatever the nature of the issue. When faced with these challenges, I go to one of my favorite chapters in the Bible—Psalm 139. The first 22 verses are very encouraging. The final two verses in that chapter, though, are convicting:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT)

Worry and anxiety are not of God. They are of Satan, and they are sinful. Regardless of our circumstances, the Lord wants us to rest in him—a tall order when faced with cancer cells dividing rapidly in your body or whatever may be causing fear within us.

So what should we do?

“Devote yourself to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

That’s it! The remedy for fear and despair: Prayer. Thanksgiving. Trust, regardless of the outcome!

Challenge: What about you? Facing some daunting fear? Drowning in doubt and depression? Pray. Give thanks. Trust, knowing that He can use your situation for his glory.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NLT)