“The Holy Spirit and Cancer: My Faith Journey”
Romans 8 – Selected Verses
A reading from Paul’s letter
to the Romans:
18 I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits
with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;
24 For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?
25 But if we hope for what
we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps
us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.
27 And God, who searches the
heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
28 We know that all things
work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
35 Who will separate us from
the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
37 No, in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Let us pray:
Lord, please bless my words, so that Your Spirit might be revealed,
as we work together to do Your will.
Amen
A couple of months ago Rick asked me to share with you my experience
with cancer. I know that many of you have been touched by this illness. My hope is that by telling you THREE stories
about my faith journey during my bout with cancer, it could help us better cope not only with illnesses but all of life’s
difficulties. There are two things that have been reinforced for me during this ordeal:
1) The importance of Listening to the Holy
Spirit in our daily lives and
2) The importance of prayer
The Apostle Paul clearly believed that the Holy Spirit is always
at work in our lives; especially when things aren’t going very well. He also believed that prayer was a key to
turning things around.
Look again at what he wrote.
“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness…”
Through the “Spirit God searches (our) hearts.”
He even wrote that when we don’t really know how to pray,
“the Spirit intercedes for (us) with sighs too deep for words.”
So let me tell you my story. In September I went for my routine
mammogram. I was called back for a biopsy in October, and three days later found out that I had early stage, non-invasive,
fast-growing ductal carcenoma. November 28 I had my first surgery, a difficult one at that, but they did not get cancer-free
margins in the tissue. Seven days later, I had the shock of another phone call with more bad news. I went for a second opinion on December 8 and a second surgery on December 21, which was successful.
I then went on to 30 sessions of radiation over a 7 week period. Oh, and as things sometimes go in life, in November
my beloved Golden Retriever died, my husband was told he needed major abdominal surgery, and I got a speeding ticket on the
Lowell Connector. (laugh?)
So what do I mean by ‘Listening to the Holy Spirit?’
I mean being aware in our everyday lives of the different ways God speaks to us and reveals HIS will to us.
My friend, Kathi, a stay-at-home mom, explains it this way:
As my life went on I stepped out in faith in many areas,
asking Our Lord to help me. And He did! I learned that just because I am a Christian and that I am trusting God
that it will not always stop bad things from happening (though I have seen them protect me and my loved ones in MANY situations
that could have been worse) but I saw how He helped me while I went THROUGH situations. He gave me strength to persevere.
I started LOOKING for His intercession in my life. When I LOOKED for it, I would see it.
I’ve found that to be true in my own faith journey. When my
husband, Mark, heard that I was going to talk about what we have been through, he suggested that I focus on what
a kind, loving, supportive, unselfish spouse he has been. (?laughs.)
He HAS been all of those things. So have my children, my extended
family, friends, and you, my church friends and family.
I have seen the Holy Spirit at work through all of you and that
brings me to my first story.
My first story is about
the role YOU, my church family, have played in my recovery. That role from,
both physical and spiritual viewpoint, has been incalculable. Rick tells us all the time how we are doing God’s
work in this world, but let me tell you about it from my experience.
The Holy Spirit was at work through your support and when you shared
the stories of your experiences—the stories of your bravery in either facing your own illnesses or illness in your family.
The Christ Light shone when you shared beautiful scriptural passages. The Holy Spirit was at work when you brought
food when we needed it most and when you sent cards, emailed and called. The Prayer Shawl ministry so clearly is doing
God’s will and reached me with its warmth. The Holy Spirit worked in the wonderful Advent Workshop with
Kevin and works every Wednesday morning through the contributions of the greatest morning Bible study EVER. In
sum, YOU helped me to see the Holy Spirit at work and feel God’s presence
The Apostle Paul’s
words to the Philippians come to mind when I think of what you have done for me. Paul wrote, Philippians 1:3 :
Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God.
The second key aspect of my recovery has been prayer. I would
add that an active prayer life sets the stage for hope and gratitude – my prayer life has done this for
me. I saw that in my second story that I’d like to share with you.
This story is about an answer to prayer and the work of the Holy
Spirit.
Before each of my surgeries I asked if it would be okay to
say a prayer in the operating room. I also asked if I could do this with my radiation team at the start of my thirty
sessions. The prayer that I wrote and read was:
Dear God, I feel your presence with us today.
We take this time of peace and silence to reflect on our many blessings
and our work ahead.
Thank you for this opportunity to be in an excellent medical center.
Please watch over these good people who are doing Your work in the
world, who are ministering to me of Your healing gifts. Bless their hands as they heal those they meet today.
I pray for strength – for me and for those who are working
here today.
In God’s name, I pray,
Amen
That prayer lead to an outpouring of Amens and tears and continued
conversations with Joe, one of my radiation technicians. This wasn’t me at work; this was clearly the Holy Spirit.
I wasn’t telling anyone what to believe. I was just showing my own faith, and it has led to dialogues and walking
with others like Joe in faith and in doing that my own faith was strengthened even more.
My third and last story
is about one of my lowest moments-- when I was told I would need a second surgery. I sought a second opinion. Before
this meeting was a time of great questioning, researching and confusion. When I met with our Prayer Group here at church,
I prayed with them for discernment. This group encouraged me that all would be clear—that I would know the right
decision and course of action to make.
I then went to meet with the surgeon and my husband
for a second opinion. If I say that this meeting was like emerging from a cloud into the light, I would be understating
it. After all our searching for answers and the right course of action, the road became so clear. Our prayers
for discernment had been answered, and in retrospect, the decisions made that day were the right ones for me.
To finish this last story, do you know one of the ways that I knew
that God was watching over me at this surgeon’s appointment ? that He was answering this prayer? At the
most painful moment in this appointment, the time when I had to have a repeat mammogram less than two weeks post-op, God sent
a radiation technologist from France. Now you might not think that this is so remarkable. How do I know that God
sent her? Maybe it was just a coincidence? You see, I am a high school French and Spanish teacher. Language brings
me joy, and I love the French language.
I went from that pain in that mammogram, and I felt God’s
soothing presence in the conversation with the woman from France. It turns out that I had
riden a bicycle through her hometown in the Southwest of France. We laughed and joked. I felt God’s grace
in that conversation and laughter.
In summary, I invite YOU to continue to look around for the presence
of the sighs and signs of Holy Spirit in your lives; I encourage you to continue your prayer lives. Join us in
the Prayer Group anytime you would like the first and third Thursday evenings
So in closing, I read Luke as he wrote in Chapter 11:verse 1 :
When Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray………So Jesus
told them to pray in this way….. ask and you will receive, search and you will find, knock and the door will be opened
for you. Everyone who asks will receive, everyone who searches will find, and the door will be opened for everyone who
knocks. “
May God bless you all.
Amen.
Amanda Orr Harmeling
March 25, 2007
