Though He Slay Me, I Will Hope In Him.

I often struggle with the fact that cancer exists.  Oh  sure, I am an advocate of the sovereignty of God,  I believe that He rules over all… but cancer took my dad from me. I hate it. Cancer took my dad out of this life.  I despise it.

Cancer is waging war in many people I know and love.

Please pray for and with the Thalen family.  Cancer is waging war in Linda’s Body.  Pray also for Rob Deboer, who is also battling cancer…and many others…

I hate cancer, I hate sin, I hate the fall…sigh…

Cancer is on my mind.  Can you tell?

But…

So is Jesus.  And He is all consuming.

I do not doubt the sovereignty of God in these things. So here are some of my (early morning) thoughts on cancer and Jesus (and on suffering in general.) Perhaps they are biblical, perhaps not, but right now I am awake because of these thoughts.  So here I share my thoughts with you.

• All things exist for the glory of God.  Even those things that resulted from the fall…depression, cancer, death… and the like…And so, in some way that we cannot really ever understand, God is glorified even in our suffering and in our death. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
• Cancer and every kind of suffering is a result of sin’s origin with Adam’s first sin. As the first head, his sin has broken all of creation, but it will be restored one day (Romans 8:18-25). So we can confidently say that cancer and all sufferings are a result of sin, but as in John 9, we cannot look at the people afflicted with sufferings and  assume that it was their own sin which caused it (Luke 13:1-5).
• Suffering will work to conform us to the image of Christ.  Suffering is a means of sanctification. Cancer is a means of sanctification. (Romans 8:28-29).
• The proper response to suffering is faith and joy. Rather than worry, we should be growing in trust and faith. Rather than despair, we should be growing in joy (Romans 5:3-5). Trust that this is God’s good hand upon us and that He is a generous Father. Our suffering, while painful is still a gift.  Though it stems from the fall, God uses it to mold us, to sanctify us. AND All of His works, ALL OF THEM, all His works toward His children are good.
• All suffering is covered by the suffering of Christ. ALL OF IT! He suffered more than we can ever know.  Even those if us who struggle with disease, with cancer, with whatever! He was called one who was acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3) and He is able to help us.  He sympathizes with us in our suffering because of His own suffering (Hebrews 2:5-18).
• God will slay us.  When it is our time to die, He ultimately holds us in His hands.  When it is time to go home, he will bring us home, he will slay us, all of us, in one way or another.  And it is not meaningless, it is so meaningful.   Precious in His eyes is the death of his saints!
• Glory to God!
• Jesus is coming soon. Yes, there is coming a day free from suffering for those who have trusted, magnified, worshiped, and rejoiced in Christ.

Believe this…

Trust in it…

Hope in it…

Rest in it…

There is nothing else that matters…Nothing.

Here is a contemporary song you will never hear on Christian radio (or secular radio).  It speaks of God’s sovereignty in suffering and death….and is based on Job 13:15.  I really enjoy this song and do praise God with it.

Here are a couple verses I love…

Revelation 21:3-4 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.