Do you ever worry? Are you ever anxious? Sadly, I have never worried more in my life than I have over cancer. I have lost two grandparents and both parents to cancer. I have had two different types of cancer. Maybe you can identify with me, especially in those moments in the middle of the night. The boa constrictor of worry starts to suffocate you, and the worries exponentially multiply. The English word for worry comes from a word that means “to strangle,” or grasp by the throat.
What do you think God’s attitude is about worry? While we compartmentalize worry and exclude it from grave sins such as adultery and murder, worry is still sin against the Lord. It reveals a lack of trusting the Triune God, the One who gloriously saved you from all your sins. Worry functionally questions the sovereignty of God, God’s faithfulness, and the Lord’s provision for His children. Dear Christian with cancer, God does not want you to worry. For your sake. And His glory.
Consider this short article on the ABCs of dealing with worry.
A. Admit That Anxiety and Worry Are Sins.
Gulp. If Jesus tells you not to do something, but you do it anyway, what is that called? It is called “sin.” Anxiety is the opposite of trust. Worry is an antonym for faith.
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
There is hope when you confess sin. It is forgiven, and you receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13 confirms this fact: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” If you label your sin as a “disease,” “syndrome,” or “illness,” there will be no mercy. You want mercy, right? Why don’t you confess your anxiety right now? Yes, even about your cancer. Trust God instead of worrying.
B. Believe Your Heavenly Father is Loving, Good, and Provides for all Your Needs.
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Jesus said, “Look.” He commands His followers to consider, gaze up, and intently stare with serious contemplation. “Be a bird watcher.” While many cancer patients are restricted from physical exercise, even walking, they can look out the window. But there is more: “Watch birds and then consider what the Father does for them.” Birds have food from God. Will God feed us and provide for us? The argument is from the lesser to the greater. Martin Luther is wise in his analysis:
You see, he is making the birds our schoolmasters and teachers. It is a great and abiding disgrace to us that in the gospel a helpless sparrow should become a theologian and a preacher to the wisest of men. [1]
Jesus calls his disciples to “consider” a second time:
And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
The Greek word is different here; instead of considering by intently gazing, it means to consider by careful study or observation. So many Christians operate on their feelings. Cancer sufferers need to think. They need to consider. They need to contemplate their heavenly Father who loves them. You can trust the heavenly Father.
C. Chase After God and His Glory
Please do not let worry about your cancer handicap your worship of the Lord today. Do not let anxiety sidetrack you from serving Jesus Christ and His church. Jesus said:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Seeking requires deliberate searching with strenuous effort. Jesus wants you to constantly seek His kingdom. Instead of constantly seeking Google remedies, life expectancies, herbal cures, and more, strive for God’s kingdom and righteousness. Live “all out” for the Lord. Be so busy serving the Lord and other Christians that you do not have time to worry. You have a ministry, especially to others with cancer.
D. Do Not Borrow Trouble
I admit that much of my worry related to cancer has nothing to do with today. My worry is often about future procedures, tests, biopsies, infusions, and long-term prognosis. Future worry is not only sinful but unproductive. It accomplishes nothing profitable. The Lord gives grace for today, but He does not give tomorrow’s grace for today.
Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Overcoming worry about cancer is as simple as the ABCs. Or, in this case, the ABCDs. Why don’t you go outside for a walk and watch the birds and look at the blossoms? If you are too sick to walk, go sit by your favorite window and observe God the Father’s care over fowls and flowers.
