Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right
hand.
Isiah 41:10
We all have friends from our childhood. Sometimes we are fortunate enough to have a
BEST friend, and sometimes we carry those friendships into adulthood. I had one of those lifelong childhood best
friends. We grew up in the country,
playing with our pets, riding horses, loving our farm animals, water skiing in
the river and enjoying nature. We went
our different ways after high school, but we always kept in touch and we
continued our love for the things we experienced in childhood.
We both got married, she had a baby, and then things
changed. She was diagnosed with cancer when
she was a young adult and mother. She
went through treatment and thought cancer was in her past. Then it recurred and the doctors said she had
a very low chance of survival. Instead
of bitterness and fear, my friend turned to her faith. She prayed earnestly that God heal her and
allow her to raise her daughter, who was only a preschooler. She studied her Bible and believed God’s
promises. She put her faith in God and
her doctors, and then she relaxed and went about her life.
My friend told me that she knew the moment God healed
her. When her doctors would tell her
there were still tumors in her body, her faith would overcome her fear. She had
faith that God would give her the strength to survive.
People experience fear every day: fear that our children will be hurt, fear
over finances, fear of failed relationships, and fear of death. What are you afraid of? The way out of fear is faith. When you fear, you don’t believe, and when
you don’t believe, you fear. Fight fear
by trusting in God’s word.
My friend exhibited an admirable faith in the face of
extreme adversity. She was a living
example of fighting fear with faith. She
lived 19 years after being diagnosed with cancer, which answered her prayer
that she be allowed to raise her daughter.
Two days after Christmas, my
friend passed away with me by her side.
Her daughter is a senior in college and will follow her mother’s example
of fighting fear with faith.
Thought for the Day
Give God’s Word first place in your heart, because it is
life, health and strength for your body.
Prayer
Dear Lord, show me how to believe in you and understand what
you are saying to me. Help me to give up
fear and let you replace it with faith.
Amen
