Prepared for Anything, Part VI

I never cease to be amazed at the way God works and prepares me for the next hurdle.  A book was suggested for our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship aka Adult Sunday school), but I didn’t think it would be worthwhile. One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer sounded to me like just one more of those books that fascinate people so much. But I was assured this book was very biblical, so I agreed to read it. I was so impressed that when I closed the book, I wanted to go to heaven right away. I wanted to be with my Savior immediately. I actually regretted that I might have 20 more years of this life.

Now I want to caution you about depending on books rather than God’s Word. There are many excellent books out there, but we must always compare their content with Scripture. Only the Bible is infallible; men and women are not. Plus, we know God better and more intimately through Scripture, through His eyes. Books give us a view of God through someone else’s eyes. Yet certainly God uses books, too, as He did this book in my life.

Just a few weeks after finishing the book, I found blood in my urine. Information on-line revealed that bladder cancer is the usual cause of bloody urine. That was in July of 2016, and my first thought was, “Maybe I won’t have to wait another 20 years!”

I was scheduled for a cystoscopy in September. To perform a cystoscopy, the doctor inserts a tiny camera through the uretha and into the bladder. Although I knew the camera would be tiny, I couldn’t imagine it being small enough to find its way into my bladder without causing pain.

The day of the test came and I was nervous. The nurse left after prepping me and telling me to relax. So there I was, laying on the examination table, naked from the waist down but well draped. There was no way I could grab a Bible or even take comfort from Bible verses on my phone. I was so thankful for those verses I had memorized over the years, verses like Romans 8:18:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time

are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Or Isaiah 43:1b-3:

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned,

the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

My prayer became, “Lord, let me sense Your presence as I walk through this fire. Help me to
focus on Your glory and Your power.” And His presence was so real to me, I felt I could reach out and touch Him.

By the time the doctor came in, I was totally relaxed and prepared for anything. I expected he would see one tumor, but—multiple tumors? That was the diagnosis. Yet I remained amazingly calm even as he discussed the need for surgery and what the subsequent treatments would be.

That year, Leadership Council at Community Bible Study, of which I am a part, was memorizing 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. These verses comforted me throughout that season of my life as I recited them over and over again:
 

So we do not lose heart.

Though our outer self is wasting away,

our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us

an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

as we look not to the things that are seen 

but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient, 

but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

The interesting thing is that I never once thought to pray for my healing. Instead my prayer was that somehow I would be able to bring glory to God through this journey. I fully expected it to be my ticket Home. Coming across Jeremiah 17:14 was the first time I even considered the fact that God might heal me. That verse says,
 

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;

Save me, and I shall be saved,

for You are my praise.

The good news is, I have been cancer free for one year now and I praise God for that.

Lesson #6: The words of Scripture bring comfort no matter how grave the situation.

My soul melts away for sorrow;

strengthen me according to your word!

Psalm 119:28

So my prayer as I share these thoughts with you is shaped from Psalm 119:74—I pray that those who fear God will see me and rejoice because I have hoped in His Word.

And I trust that you will join me in saying with the Psalmist:
 

I will meditate on your precepts

and fix my eyes on your ways.

I will delight in your statutes;

I will not forget your word.

Psalm 119: 15, 16