Speak Words of Hope
Ever felt sucker-punched? Needed a rope of hope? I did when I discovered the tumor. Following surgery, the doctor recommended 33 radiation treatments. I reluctantly agreed.
A few months earlier I had jotted in my journal two sentences from a Christian speaker: “When you feel discouraged or weary in the fight, declare to your situation what you know to be true about God. Speak just one word of encouragement and hope.”
During my early morning 15-mile drive to the clinic, I listened to hymns. Then while sitting in the parking lot I asked Him for a specific word for the day. Minutes later, dressed in my pink gown, and just before entering the radiation room, I’d say to the three therapists: “The word for today is “____” followed by just one word:
Hope. Trust. Comfort. Favor. Healing. Compassion. Peace. Mercy. Strength. Courage. Faithfulness. Deliverer. Lovingkindness. Helper. Jesus. One particularly rough day it was three words for me: Be not anxious.
Some days even before I spoke, Robin, one of my compassionate therapists, would ask, “What’s your word today?” One morning she said, “I needed that.” Sometimes a waiting patient would ask me also for “the word.” On my final day, I shouted JOY as I rang the celebration bell. The last of my 33 words! Words of encouragement and hope I knew to be true about God for me in my situation.
Two months later when I returned for my follow-up exam, Robin said, “I really miss hearing your word for today. Do you have one now?” And I did. While I originally thought the word was to encourage me, it also encouraged others.
Friends graciously provided me with prayer coverage. And I kept my hope grounded in my heavenly Father’s watchcare. While “hope” has several definitions in Hebrew, the original meaning was “to stretch like a rope.”
Last week on the fourth anniversary of finishing treatment, my kind Radiation Oncologist gave me a wonderful, good report! Robin popped into the exam room to say hello and we exchanged a few words about our Savior. “My word for today is still JOY because the joy of the Lord is my strength,” I told her.
Don’t we all need encouragement and hope to help us through our difficult seasons? We can find it in the Bible as well as through other people. I like this Scripture, “encourage one another daily.” (Hebrews 3:13 NIV)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your word which offers us great encouragement and hope. Thank You too for all the medical specialists who use their skills to help us fight disease. Bless them and our faithful friends who intercede for us in prayer. Thank You for being our ultimate Healer and Restorer of our bodies and souls. I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scriptures: For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth. By You I have been upheld from birth. (Psalm 71:5,6a NKJV) He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. (Matthew 8:17b NKJV)–
Excerpts from my book Cast Your Shadow: Influence On Purpose, Available on Amazon
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