I am pleased to report that my friend, with whom I’ve been walking, is getting better. He’s on a strong regiment of chemo, but the tumor is shrinking. So I am thankful. And it brings up a point I’d like to address in this session: God is faithful, but sometime His purposes involve a process that is fulfilled over time.

The spiritual: Lately I’ve been reading about the calling of Moses in the book of Exodus. In Chapter 3 when Moses encounters the Lord in the burning bush, God tells Moses that He will deliver the Hebrews and take them to a “good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”. This is really a repeat of a what He told Abraham He would do about 500 years earlier (Genesis 15). What struck me was God’s faithfulness to His Word. Abraham had long since died. There was no one around to say to God, “Remember what you said to Abraham? Don’t for get your promise.” God doesn’t need reminders to be faithful; that’s part of His nature.

As you continue to read Exodus 4 – 12, you see that God did deliver the Hebrews from slavery. But there was a process. Moses went to Pharaoh repeatedly with the same request but Pharaoh refused to release the Hebrews from bondage. The process that led to Hebrew freedom and entering the land of Canaan involved miracle after miracle that drove home to the Egyptians and others in that region that the God of the Hebrews was real and all powerful. Forty years later, and hundreds of miles from Egypt, the people of Jericho were filled with fear because of what God did for the Hebrews. God’s purposes involved glorifying His name to all people.

So as you go through your cancer process, understand that God is faithful and His purposes in your life may involve a process that will ultimately lead to His glory and your good.

The practical: My “brother” got a second opinion concerning his diagnosis and treatment. The second doctor gave him confirmation that he was on the right path. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion concerning your treatment. Remember that doctors regular people like other professions. Some are very good in their profession, others are average — just like other professions. If you feel the need to get a second opinion, go ahead; your health is on the line. But once you get confirmation, move ahead in your “partnership” with your doctor. You’re in it together.