This I Declare!

It was a crisp clear morning and the temperatures outside were comfortable. As we walked through the doors of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute anxiety began to well up inside me to the point I could feel it in my throat. The smell of a medical facility was all around us. The inside was plush and made to be as comfortable as possible. It was apparent all efforts were being made to help people comfortably cope with the effects of this life-changing disease we know as cancer. I could see men sitting in various waiting areas taking in the sun’s rays through the sparkling clean glass. The red-vested Carle auxiliary employees were all about assisting people with added amenities offered to ease the uncertainty of the wait. On a balcony overlooking the main waiting area was what appeared to be a small café with televisions to pass the time during longer waiting periods. The aroma of coffee had infiltrated this small area mixing it in with the familiar smell of a medical facility. I tried to remain strong and held onto the verse of the day as I kept repeating it to myself. Before we left I checked my daily verse app on my smart phone and I once again could tell the Lord was looking over us. It was from Psalms 91:2 which says, “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” A refuge is a place to take shelter, and at that time I needed to be sheltered in His protective arms. My wife needed to be sheltered in His protective arms. We had prayed for His healing touch and we put our entire trust in Him. As I uttered those words to myself the anxiety was suppressed and the sweat in my eyes (our son Ben’s way of expressing crying) was dried. Karen was checked in and we were given a place to sit and wait for her to be called back. My first thought was thankfulness; now we can just take a moment and say a prayer and just spend some time alone. Little did I know in this place the wait is minimal. The noise of the settling of the seat chair had not even finished when out of the evaluation area came a kind-spirited woman calling my wife’s name. I immediately got up with her, and asked if it was ok if I accompany her to the area in which she was going. They assured me it was acceptable and there was a special waiting area for me close to the procedural area my wife was going to be in. I smiled and said thank you, and quickly walked back with them to prepare myself for this two hours of extreme testing to potentially rule out the word we have all grown to fear – cancer. We entered into a dimly lit area with many rooms and no visual paths to the outside. I was escorted to a small waiting room with a few seats and a love seat with a television next to a wide corridor. As they whisked my wife away to prepare for her procedures, I bowed my head and began to pray. Just as Daniel continued to do, I thanked the Lord for what He had already done, and yet I asked the Lord for His help as well. I needed help to ward of Satan and his attacks on my uncertainty. I have seen the Lord do great things in this area alone and I knew God would not give me such a gift only to take it prematurely, yet Satan has a way to work our weakest points, so I prayed. I also prayed that the moving of the Lord in this would be so evident that perhaps we wouldn’t have to be there for two hours. It wasn’t a time issue, but a real, without a doubt, healing from the Lord moment that would be a testament to others in how Great our God is. I prayed that if the Lord saw fit, that the specialists would see nothing and what they once saw would now be clear and they would tell my wife there is no need for any further testing and that she could go home. Yet in all this I also prayed as Jesus did that God prepare us for His will and not ours. After nearly fifteen minutes Karen came back out. She had just finished her first set of procedures. Once again I knew this was only the beginning and I could feel the angst beginning to well up in me again. I pulled my phone out and shared the verse from Psalms with Karen. She smiled and simply said, “yep” and I swallowed the angst right back down and we waited for what was next. Soon another very nice and compassionate lady came out and called Karen to follow her. She told us she needed more images that were more precise. I was not sure how to take that, but I knew from my history in medicine that that meant they were looking in one certain area of interest. The concern once again began to rise in me and once again I began to pray with no special requests, but simply that the Lord make it clear to them what they need to see and protect my gift. Karen was not away for long this time and soon she was back sitting with me in the little waiting area. It had now been about twenty minutes since the procedural process started and we both prepared for a potentially long day. Up to now we had not told anyone of this issue, except for a few pastor friends. We did not tell our children because we did not want to upset them with the unknown. I must confess however, when Karen was taken back the first time to begin the procedures I did reach out to a friend I was texting at the time to just pray for her. It is great to have people in places at times of need that will drop and pray right then. It had now been approximately twenty-five minutes of being in the procedural portion of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. We were preparing for the possibility of two more hours with the specialists on hand, when the little lady with the kind and compassionate disposition came bouncing into the small waiting area and sat on the edge of the seat next to Karen with her hands folded across her lap. I could feel a huge lump well up in my throat as I prepared for the announcement and my eyes began to sweat. As she looked Karen directly in the eye, and with a smile I will never forget, she spoke the words we longed to hear. She told Karen she was free to go, that everything was clear and Karen was totally fine, there was no need for concern. My eyes began to sweat profusely, but this time with thanksgiving, and I thanked the Lord right there. I held it together quite well, yet the inside of me was in total jubilation as our God reigns. Not only had God healed and without question cleared her of any cancer questions, He made it so clear that we did not have to go through the two hours of testing. God is so good. God had shut the mouths of the lions’ and rescued my queen from the grip of a disease that is devastating. Like Daniel in the lions’ den, she had been protected and now we will live to tell the story. I could only think of the disciple John in John 21 after fishing all night. Peter, James, and John have caught no fishes but then Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the other side. They do so, yet it is during a time when fishing is usually at its worst. Yet through the miracles of Jesus the nets are full, and John realizes “It’s the Lord”. When my wife was cleared all I could say was “It’s the Lord”. One cannot deny the love and amazing power and grace of our creator. Good things come to those who love the Lord and are called according to His holy purposes. We truly are called to be His hands and feet and we are truly blessed for this day; another day yet not promised. Our hope is our experience through this ordeal can affect others just like Daniel’s experience affected the king. It says in Daniel 6:25-28 that the king was so moved by the presence of the Lord in Daniel’s situation, the king made a decree claiming the Sovereign Lord to be the One True God. It would appear that king Darius had his own encounter as a result of Daniel’s testimony of faith in this precarious situation. Karen and I want to be the witness to the awesome grace and power of the One True God, and hopefully help other’s see how a life with Christ is one you can depend on. We know we must be dependent on Him, as He has never failed us. He can and will do the same for anyone who so chooses Him and experiences their own personal encounter with Jesus. With Christ all things are possible and life will never be the same; This I declare.