Taken By Surprise - 50 Days of Hope

Taken By Surprise

I don’t think most people are prepared to get a cancer diagnosis. Instead we hope against hope that things will not turn out as we fear and the whole nightmare will go away. Right up until I saw the look on my gastroenterologist’s face after my colonoscopy, I had hoped—and believed—there was nothing wrong with me. So much for the power of positive thinking!

My friend Sandy says the first emotion she felt after hearing her diagnosis of advanced ovarian cancer was disbelief.

“I was sure they had the wrong diagnosis and they must have gotten someone else’s report,” the retired schoolteacher recalls. “I kept thinking the doctor would call in a few days and clear everything up.”

I don’t know if your or your loved one’s cancer diagnosis has taken you by surprise, but I guarantee it has not taken God by surprise.

He is all-knowing.

He is all-seeing.

He is all-powerful.

He is in control of everything.

He knows what you need and when you need it.

You may feel unprepared, but God is prepared, and He is preparing things for you—good things—things that you can’t even imagine.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love him.

1 Corinthians 2:9

And I believe He literally goes before all of His followers into each new day to provide what we’ll need for that day. Hear His promise through Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 31:8 (as expressed in three different Bible versions):

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.^a

GOD is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t worry.^b

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”^c

Authors Henry and Richard Blackaby explain God’s promise this way:

God never sends you into a situation alone. He always goes before His children, as He did with the children of Israel when He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. . . . He always precedes you in any situation you encounter. God is never caught by surprise by your experience; He has already been there. He is prepared to meet every need because He has gone before you and knows exactly what you will need for your pilgrimage.^d

And the really good news is that He doesn’t just go on ahead of us; He stays with us, too, ensuring we are never alone. The Blackabys add:

Not only does God go before you, but He also stands beside you and behind you, to provide protection and comfort. . . . If you are going through a difficult or confusing time, know that your Lord has gone before you and He is present with you. He is fully aware of what you are facing, and He is actively responding to your need.^e

God knows exactly what you need to be prepared for today.

“My faith got me through each day,” Sandy recalls three years after her diagnosis. “I am truly a wimp when it comes to things like needles, blood work, and surgery, but the Lord gave me daily what was needed. I learned that He does not give us strength or grace the day before it is needed, but at the exact second it is needed.”

It’s okay if you feel disbelief or shock or are unprepared for whatever’s next. Perhaps you would like to pray with the psalmist today from Psalm 25:5:

Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You. Amen.