Jehovah-Rapha: Jeff’s Story

Jeff waited in the exam room for the doctor to come, passing the time by flipping aimlessly through the latest edition of Prevention magazine. Waiting was something he had grown used to over the past two years—waiting for doctors; waiting for chemo to drip from the medication bag through his port and into his body; waiting for scans and test results; waiting for healing to come.

He had already defied the medical odds. Most people with stage 4 colon cancer weren’t doing nearly as well at this point in the game. Fifty chemo sessions and two years after his diagnosis, he was still fighting. It wasn’t an ordinary fight. It was God’s battle, not his. And most of the time, he thought God was winning. The doctor couldn’t believe he was still working fulltime, playing pickup basketball once a week, and living a nearly normal life. Well, as normal as life could be with chemo every other week and all its side effects. Even his blood counts remained normal. Usually the chemo destroys healthy cells along with the cancer cells, often driving blood counts to dangerously low levels. His counts were consistently at normal, pre-chemo levels. Praise Him!

The tumors in his colon and liver were inoperable. Until the cancer disappeared or shrunk to a level where surgery became an option, biweekly chemo would be a routine part of his life. Complete healing of stage 4 cancer was a tall order for the medical realm. But not for God. With Him, anything is possible. He smiled at the thought.

His faith sustained him and his family throughout this battle. He truly loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, and mind. He loved God’s Word and found strength in reading and meditating on it every day. He felt so blessed to be part of a faith-filled family. God had given him a beautiful wife and three sons. He loved the times they prayed and studied the Bible together. Strangely, this disease had brought them closer to one another and to God. He met regularly with other believers to receive healing prayer and pray for those suffering from cancer and other life difficulties. He knew his story and his strength inspired them. He always made it clear that the strength they witnessed was not his own. Tears came to his eyes at the thought of God’s faithfulness.

Cancer had humbled him. He had grown fully dependent on God and acquired a deep desire to live in His presence. He had discovered the secret of abiding. In this intimate place with God, he found love, peace, and supernatural joy in the midst of his suffering. In this secret place, he found the hope that sustained him. He came to desire the sweet presence of Jesus even more than his healing. He wanted his healing to glorify God and to become a witness of His power and goodness for all to see. Every day, God seemed to reveal more of Himself. Just like the leper who knew God could heal him if He wanted to, he had heard God say, “I want to.” He walked every day in divine health, experiencing a healing that had not yet manifested in his physical body.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the soft rap on the door and the doctor coming into the examination room. The doctor greeted him with the usual hug. After this long, a guy could become good friends with his physician. The doctor wasted no time. “We have good news, Jeff! The large tumor in your colon appears to be dead. Several other tumors in your liver are dead or in the process of dying. But we have some small spots in your lung we have to tackle next.”

Jeff smiled. Faithful again. Thank You, Jesus. While the doctor explained the next plan of attack, Jeff knew deep in his spirit that God would complete the work He had started. Either way, he wins.