Cancer. The big C word causing anguish and heartache in the lives of so many around us. It has no sympathy nor compassion to the millions of lives it affects.
It was difficult for me to witness a family friend go through pancreatic cancer, especially when his health took such a drastic turn for the worst. Suddenly regular checkups at the hospital became weekly stays and his presence was deeply missed at home. I was newly saved when his health drastically declined those last few months.
It was difficult to balance my newfound joy in Jesus while also witnessing a loved one suffer so terribly before my eyes.
The only anchor I had during this tumultuous time was Jesus.
One day during a visit, I was quietly reading the Bible as my friend laid in his hospital bed watching TV. The room was heavy with sadness and two of his sons were dozing off in chairs nearby, when suddenly, I had the unshakeable feeling that God wanted me to read my Bible out loud to my friend.
I had no idea how to bring up the Bible to someone who was so far from the Lord yet so near to death.
So I asked God to guide me, swallowed the lump in my throat, then awkwardly asked, “Hey…I’ve been reading the Bible lately…and well, would you like me to read it to you?” But the response was a very candid no. I dejectedly wondered why God wanted me to do that at all.
Immediately God answered my wonder. His response amazed me:
Wait and see. I’m changing his heart now. Yes, you will be reading the Bible to him. He will accept me before everyone here and my glory will shine in this room.
Minutes passed and suddenly, the thick silence in the room was broken. In a heartbreakingly weak voice, it was my friend who asked if I’d read the Bible to him.
My heart soared. God had moved his heart in a matter of minutes!
Every visit after that, he’d ask me to read the Bible. This was our routine for the last three weeks of his life.
I will never forget what happened. God certainly displayed his glory, mercy and compassion to my friend who so desperately needed Him during that time. And I will forever be thankful.
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