When We Keep Our Focus on God's Purpose
BY KAREN HANSON
Today I want to testify to the truth of God’s word in Isaiah 43:2 When you walk through the waters, I will be with you; when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Is it possible to suffer sickness, disease, heartbreak and disappointment and still praise God in the storm? In this passage God promises His people to protect and sustain us in our worst moments that seem too hard to bear.
For year and a half I have walked through the waters, been in the river, and walked through fire as I dealt with breast cancer. As soon as I got home the day I was diagnosed I sat in my rocking chair and said to God, "Okay, what are we going to do about this?”
Having been healed in a miraculous way in the past, and knowing that it only takes a simple touch from God to be healed, I expected that's what I would receive!
But as I sat in my chair and quieted my spirit to hear, I sensed God saying,” I will be with you every step of the way.”
What? Did I hear right? Then He *said* I will put an army around you to help you in every way. I was a little surprised because, I really do have a child-like faith most of the time. I was surprised at His answer, but I was not afraid!
I’ve always thought that cancer was the worst diagnosis a person could receive. So many times, we hear of Christians with an amazing faith in God, who die of cancer. I never thought it would happen to me! We don’t have a history of cancer in my family, and most of all, no breast cancer...
As I started to tell my husband and kids what the Doctor had said, the sound of my own voice as I delivered the news, seemed foreign and surreal. I always get a mammogram, every year without fail.
On this day, I expected to sacrifice an hour of my precious time to go through the process one more time and then get on with the more important issues of my day! However through multiple tests, five hours later I was informed that in one year I went from no sign of cancer to having three tumors and multiple pearls of cancer in one breast.
Imagine if I had missed my mammogram, and I almost did because this happened in the beginning of the Covid pandemic! It was one of those times that I listened to that still, small voice and I kept my appointment! Thank God I did!
We feel God's peace when we keep our focus on God's purpose
Anyway, my response to God was, “If this is the path that you want me to walk, please let me see why. I don’t need to know why this happened to me; I want to know what else you have for me to do while I am there! Please Father, help me to have my eyes wide open to see Kingdom business while I am walking through this valley!”
I knew that God didn’t create cancer in me so that I could be about Kingdom business in that scenario, but I could believe that He would have me walk that path of healing and do some good as I go. I never once felt fear, and I never once thought that I might not get healed. It was just a matter of God choosing a different path for me on purpose.
Even without fear, it has been a challenge to go through a mastectomy and a year and a half of problems healing and multiple surgeries. It was mental torture in the month between diagnosis and mastectomy surgery. Physically, I didn’t feel different. I had no signs or symptoms of cancer. I had no pain or indication that there were cancer cells working within my body and if not eradicated would most definitely take my life!
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have my body part missing! Not to mention the fact that I have a husband that enjoys having a wife to be close to. The mental process was indeed torture! I just wanted to avoid this nonsense and get on with my life as normal.
My husband was very supportive and loving through this. His prayers for me was my salve. After the surgery, I couldn’t bathe myself or dress myself for several weeks. At first I was bandaged and at least the offense couldn’t be seen as my husband helped me with my personal needs.
Three weeks post operative, when the Doctor took off the bandages, we were all shocked to discover that the entire surgical sight was completely black with dead skin! It was supposed to be a neat, pink, healing incision and instead, it was about 6” X 3” of completely dead black and purple skin that would have to be removed!
What about the word from the Lord I had in the beginning and the peace I had about my recovery? I thought that it meant that healing would be certain and that I just had to stay tuned in to look for ministry opportunities as I went along. Did this mean that I hadn’t heard from God at all? Did this mean that my faith was a fairy tale, a lie that I had made up?
As quick as those thoughts came into my head, the Father was there whispering in my ear. “ I will be with you every step of the way, I will put an army around you to help you with everything you need.”
The sound of His voice was not a mistake! Surely, the enemy was also trying to speak to me, words to tear me down, get me depressed and get my eyes off the reasons God had chosen for me to walk through the valley. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
I was determined to follow Him and to make the most of every day in that valley! The other scripture that has sustained me is Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and Courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.”
I didn’t base my faith on the peace that I felt, and I didn’t trust in just the fact that I am a child of the Most High God. I believe because the Bible tells me to have a childlike faith. I believe because I know His voice, and where He leads I will follow!
Every time I do, He is there sending in His saints to help me! This time people brought my husband and me food, gave me encouragement and truly helped provide for my every need.
Okay, back to the surgical problem of healing, they did an emergency surgery to remove the dead skin and I was kicked backwards three weeks to a second Day One of the healing process.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding
Somewhere in these first weeks I received a call from my insurance company saying that they had appointed me a counselor and a therapist to assist my mental well being during my recovery.
At first I really didn’t see a need for it. They asked me the typical questions, Do you feel safe in your home? Do you have feelings of depression or hopelessness? Do you have thoughts of harming yourself or others? No, No and No! I thought, why do I need these people in my life? I have always seen the glass half full anyway!
I explained to them that I was a Christian and that I have a very good support team. I have my girlfriends that I share my struggles with. They pray for me and encourage me. I have a very supportive and loving husband who has done everything to support and care for me. I have a sister that traveled to be with me in those first weeks when Alan had to go to work. I had people from our church bring us meals and gift cards. People I had never even met before brought us meals! I even had a friend that came over in the mornings during her break at work just to sit and read the Bible to me! I was covered!
I was assured that continuing sessions with the Therapist and Counselor was my choice. I told them that I really didn’t think that I needed their services but I would give it a couple of weeks to evaluate it. Right after we hung up from that call the Lord reminded me again what He had said in the beginning of all of this, “I will put an army around you.”
I got it! Why would I ever dismiss any part of my army? I almost blew that one! I understood then that these two professionals could very well be my assignments, as well as a part of my personal army!
Sure enough, What a blessing my time with both of them turned out to be!
They would start our conversations with those expected questions, then they would patiently wait for my responses. They got paid to listen to me for one hour apiece telling them the reason for my hope! It was not hard. From the beginning of my relationship with God, He has shown me that His promises are not to keep me from hard things, but that I would never have to go through them alone. He promises that He will never leave us!
I spoke with the Therapist on Tuesdays and the Counselor on Thursdays. I looked forward to every appointment and couldn't wait to to share about my faith and hope in Christ!
On the day of our last consultation the Counselor told me that she had never had a patient use this appointed time to share hope with her. She thanked me over and over for the time we had spent together.
I had the same response from my Therapist! She asked if she could continue to call me after our sessions came to an end. She was a Christian, however her circumstances were overwhelming her to the point of hopelessness. Her husband was in the Covid intensive care unit with critical issues. She said that when I shared a message of hope with her, she took notes as her job required. Then she would go straight to the hospital and reiterate the same things to her husband.
We did speak a couple of times after our sessions ended. I encouraged her to focus on praying with her husband on their visits along with sharing things I might have said. The last text I received from her was that her husband still had a long way to go but was being released from the hospital!
These are the situations that kept me strong through my ordeal. By rehearsing the goodness of God with others, I myself was encouraged and peacefully filled to overflowing. What a marvelous plan from the Father of Lights who can see everything that we can not!
James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
Listen to this!
Romans 5:3-5 " Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
As I share this with you, I am excited all over again!
The good news is this, God wants to infuse you with His love and assurance just like He does with me. He does not have favorites! If you don't have a relationship with God yet, get into church. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, ask for His forgiveness of your sins. Come into the family of God by being baptized into a new life. Lay your burdens at His feet and allow Him to fill you with His comfort and peace!