Strength For Your Battle

Strength For Your Battle

They did not conquer the land with their swords; it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from your face that helped them, for you loved them. . . . Only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow; I do not count on my sword to save me. Psalm 44:3, 5-6

When Kellee was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she knew it wasn’t a battle she could fight on her own. Though the available treatments for the disease had progressed enough over the past few years to give Kellee hope for recovery, the battle still would not be easy. The survival rate for the kind of cancer she had was fifty-fifty at best.

“I’m tired. I’m not sure I have the strength to push through,” Kellee confided to me one day.

“I understand. This treatment isn’t easy. But I believe the Lord will be your strength when you can’t muster it on your own,” I said. I reminded her that God had gotten her through the first phase, and I was confident he would see her through the next one as well. I told her that God would be with her every step of the way.

During Kellee’s treatment, her white blood count dropped dangerously low. So did her red blood count and platelets. She had to be placed into reverse isolation to protect her from the outside world. During this time, she did not rely on weapons of war or medicine to vanquish her cancerous foe. Instead, she found power in the presence of God.

The battle was long and hard, but it paid off. Weeks later, the final round of chemo was finished. With jubilation in her heart and joy in her eyes, she embraced her family. Together they celebrated her recovery and God’s victory.

TODAY’S RX

When the battle seems long and hard, fear not. God’s strong arm and the blinding light from his face will help you.

God, I long to be strengthened and revitalized—to celebrate recovery from all that I have faced. Give me the endurance I need to make it through and stand victorious in your sight.