Reflection: There can be three responses to being told you have terminal cancer. The first is to be angry and say that God is callous. The second is to pray frantically for healing, and to “claim” you are healed in spite of the evidence. This sometimes involves formulaic praying in which you try to press the right buttons to get God to “do” something (treating him rather like a grumpy “vending machine”).
The third response is simply to rest back into God, to seek his face—and be content with what he says. This is what the apostle Paul did when he asked God to heal him of his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
I confess to identifying with Paul when he says he is content either to die and be at “home” with God, or to stay alive so he can do more useful work.
It is a beautiful place to rest in, and I commend it to you.
Prayer: Dear Father, You have grown in me a huge delight at being with you. Please give me the wisdom and opportunity to fulfil my mission before I come home.