Does God Give Cancer? Or Suffering?

(Last June 2020, I began this post, however was unable to finish it. Before that month ended my very precious sister in Christ went to be with the Lord and I was in hospital, the cardio care unit, with a heart attack. The main part of this post was written before that event, but for many months it was not the right time to publish. God’s  ways are never our ways, as Isaiah wisely opined.)

(An illumination of Psalm 118:8, middle verse in the bible - to read the post on it look HERE!). Truly it’s better to trust in God rather than man!

This part of post below was begun June 2020.

Recently I was asked this question:

“Why did God give mum cancer?”

 

  A similar question I’ve asked my God for many years - from when saved at 12 years, till finally dealt with at 25yrs (some are slow learners! 😁).

My questioning was not because of cancer, like our dear sister in the LORD, but a life-threatening condition none the less. I've nearly died through medical mismanagement of my complex condition 6 times (now 7). The last was in 2016 (+ 26 June 2020, since this post was begun). I shared briefly then on my craft blog (here, 2016).

This is the answer the Lord gave me, and I gave to that dear one, in answer to our question..

“First of all God did not GIVE mum cancer.

As part of fall of Genesis 3 and the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sickness, sorrow, pain are now part of the curse on earth. 

We are the offspring of Adam and Eve, and hence we suffer from the results of that sinful disobedience.

God ALLOWED your darling mum to have cancer.
THAT is a very big difference!
God is love.

He does not willingly afflict us.
"For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men."
 Lam. 3:33

In Job 1 (read here), a very godly man, had all, everything but life, including health taken from him by Satan.

Satan is our Adversary, not God!

This was allowed by God. 

Why does suffering bring good?

“Because only one short life will soon be past,

Only what is done for Christ will last.”

Until cancer, your dear mum had salvation, but she admitted that she had little treasure laid up in heaven.

Now she has, through her faithfulness in suffering, great treasure laid up in heaven.. 

1 Cor 3. 11-15 see this important passage here

Not the previous wood, hay, stubble, but now silver, gold, precious stones as Paul shared in Corinthians..

Your darling, faithful and true mum will now hear her Heavenly Father's great welcome into glory:

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant, 

enter thou into the joy of the Lord ".

And all who do not know our Lord Jesus?
... they will hear:

Matthew 25:41

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, 

prepared for the devil and his angels: 

For I never knew you."

How much better to come while we can!?

 

Speaking personally now, I remember saying, as regained consciousness in ICU in 2016, "Well, I seem to collect these close calls, one of these days I won't make it! I guess God isn't finished with me yet." 😊

I said afterwards to the Lord that the severe pain and suffering was worth it all, as my relationship with the LORD was sooo much deeper and richer.

 
*****

A book I am currently reading prompted this addition to this post..

"Surely He hath borne our sorrows and carried our griefs." Is 53.4

As believers, we are Christ's disciples. 

So suffering, false accusations, etc. are part of the walk as followers of Christ.

A devotional I'm reading, called "Music at Midnight" by A. Donald Miller, is about lepers, who through extreme suffering  become believers, in an Indian Leprosy mission.

Lepers who are now truly alive eternally, in spite of their outwardly dying, decaying body. 

They thank God for their leprosy! 

.....

This grabbed me two days ago! 

The quote from the book begins with a Bengali saying: 

" 'Cheer up brother, 

suffering is God's gift.' 

It is a testing part of Christian discipleship to commend God's love to those who wilfully hurt us, even when we are trying to help them. 

Often they themselves are people hurt and frustrated in spirit. 

The quality of the response to the suffering they inflict can help them to perceive their own suffering as a gift of God.

 'The cross as a dogma is painless speculation; 

the cross lived as suffering is anguish and glory,' 

writes Thomas Kelly in his Testament of Devotion.  

'Yet God, out of the pattern of His own heart, has planted the Cross along the road of holy obedience.

 And He enacts in the hearts of those He loves the miracle of willingness to welcome suffering and to know it for what it is 

- the final seal of His gracious love." 

Phew! 

Yes! Hard it is, but the road to the cross was hard!

 

 We believe in a SUFFERING SAVIOUR, a suffering God - Isaiah 53 

Indeed, we are so privileged as believers to suffer as Christ did, bearing His cross. (see Gal 2:20)

With unbelieving ones, God allows it to save hearts souls for eternity, as with the lepers (if you want to know Who or What is a Christian, please read this post HERE 😊).

 I wish you could read the glory of those leper’s testimonies, but then we see it day by day around us, don’t we?

 If only we look with the eye of faith. 

 

Another aspect of suffering, is at Paul said  in 2 Cor. 12: 7

..."lest I be exalted above measure, there was given unto me a thorn in the flesh"... (see passage here). 

It's a humbling purpose.

It brings us closer to God - to realise our inadequacy and God's ALL sufficiency.

"My grace is sufficient for thee, 

My Strength is made perfect in weakness..." 1 Cor.12:9

As our Saviour learned obedience through suffering, so do we!!

 

For it became Him, for Whom are all things, 

and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, 

to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through sufferings. Heb 2:10

Though he were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; Heb 5:8

It’s ALL for His glory and His purpose. 

There is an ETERNITY in view. 

We count the cost now, for the glory that is to come.

The world often frets that time is passing swiftly, that its desires are not accomplished.

I'm so grateful I have a Loving Heavenly Father, Who is All-Wise and only ALLOWS what is best  for me. 

It was best for our dear sister to have cancer, best for me to have a heart attack, etc., our omniscient God sees what we cannot!

No ease is promised ..(video here if not showing).

GOD HATH NOT PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue, Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through; God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain. But God hath promised strength for the day, Rest for the labor, light for the way, Grace for the trials, help from above,   Unfailing sympathy, undying love. God hath not promised we shall not know Toil and temptation, trouble and woe; He hath not told us we shall not bear Many a burden, many a care. God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, Swift, easy travel, needing no guide; Never a mountain, rocky and steep, Never a river, turbid and deep. But God hath promised strength for the day, Rest for the labor, light for the way, Grace for the trials, help from above,   Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

	All this God does promise us *an eternal home, by faith in Jesus *with a new glorious body, and *He will never leave or forsake us.

Grace for the day,

Strength for the way!

Thanks to all who pop across to read this blog and Thank YOU, too if you’re able to leave some love and encouragement.

Prayer hugs,🙏🤗

Shaz in Oz. X

PS If you haven’t I'd love it you to join as a wonderful encourager of this blog ...  link HERE.  Thank YOU to those who have done so already. It really encourages me to keep on. 😊

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