So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well.
Isaiah 55:11 NLV
Life can seem quite normal, and then one day, looking back sometime later, you come to a realization and say, “I see now that God was preparing me for this.”
For me, that hint came on a Sabbath morning. Our senior pastor joined us in our French-speaking Sabbath School class. Now that was unusual because he felt more comfortable speaking German or Spanish. We enjoyed his insights during the discussion, but I soon forgot what he said. What he shared at the very end, however, I did not forget. It was either completely out of context or a very original way to close the discussion. He read and commented on Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (NASB).
During lunch, my husband and I talked about the text and our surprise that the pastor had brought it up. “Why did he bring up that verse?” Little did we know.
On Sunday, life went as usual. Monday: Hmm, this lump hurts. I’ll call the doctor. “Yes, we need a biopsy.” Tuesday: I won’t say anything. My husband is flying to the United States today, and I don’t want him to cancel this trip. Wednesday: This must be some cyst; I won’t worry. Thursday: “You’ve got breast cancer.”
What? Can’t we rewind and start over again? Even though the doctor’s words were clear, it took a while for them to sink in. But some days later, I remembered that Bible verse shared in Sabbath School. Now I understood why our pastor had come to our class that Sabbath (of all Sabbaths) and shared that verse (of all verses). It was as if God were telling me: “Now do all you can, think all you can, and be all you can to overcome this evil with good.”
I did not know then what the outcome of my cancer would be. But I did know that Romans 12:21 would be my cancer story verse. I shared it in my videos. I talked about it. And I praised God for having prepared me for the shock I received on that cold and rainy January morning. Now I praise God because I am healed and because I know that, with Him, I don’t need to fear unexpected turns. My Father – and your Father – knows. And He will give us His grace and His Word to face whatever comes.
Lorena Finis Mayer
Covered and Carried, Copyright ©2021 Pacific Press Publishing Association
Lorena Finis Mayer lives in Bern, Switzerland, and shares her story as a cancer survivor on the ByeBye Gecko channel on YouTube.