THE BIBLE AND CANCER:

BIBLICAL RESOURCES FOR TOUGH TIMES

Compiled by Sid Burgess
Edgewood Presbyterian Church
Birmingham, AL

10.12.09

Introduction

“I didn’t know the Bible said anything about cancer,” the patient exclaimed. She had just been diagnosed with breast cancer, and was soon to begin that onerous regimen of radiation and chemo therapy. I had just read to her this excerpt from Psalm 6:

8Depart from me, all you (cancer cells),
for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.
9The LORD has heard my supplication;
the LORD accepts my prayer.

Of course, the text has “workers of evil” instead of “cancer cells,” but certainly a deadly cancer qualifies as a worker of evil!

And cancer is not the only contemporary issue addressed by ancient Hebrew and Christian scripture. In what follows I have attempted to demonstrate just how relevant the Bible can be as we face the challenges of daily living. From job stress to Parkinson’s disease, from domestic discord to depression to physical therapy, the biblical writers seem to have ‘been there, done that,’ and come out with hope in God.

This compact guide will by no means exhaust the vast resources of Holy Scripture. My modest hope is that in these pages you will find a starting point for compiling your own biblical “repertoire”--a personal collection God’s Word for you, and for those whom love, when life becomes difficult.

Athletes say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” We can do that. We Christians can “get going” in the face of all manner of suffering and hardship because, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46.1). In addition, through Holy Scripture God has provided us with the words to express our pain and hurt--and our hope--directly to Holy God.

ILLNESS

Everyone has something. We are mortal, not immortal beings. The Bible knows all too well that our bodies are susceptible to all manner of illness and injury. The ancient poet of Israel offers this sacred assurance:

1Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103 (emphasis added)

And how is God to do this? How does God “treat” illness?

For God will hide me in God’s shelter in the day of trouble;
God will conceal me under the cover of a tent;
and God will set me high on a rock. Psalm 27.5

For shelter God may provide a hospital or clinic. For a tent, God may provide the curtains of an examination room. For a high rock, God may provide a hospital bed. In any case, “these words are trustworthy and true”(Revelation 21.5).

WAITING IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

When God’s people are hurt, the prophet Jeremiah assures us that God is hurting:

For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt,
I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me.
Is there no balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
Why then has the health of my poor people
not been restored? Jeremiah 8.21-22

DIAGNOSIS

Waiting for tests results can be agonizing. Psalm 27.1 offers these words of assurance:

The Lord is the light of my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

When the diagnosis is good, Psalm 86.12-13 gives us words to express our gratitude to God:

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me . . . .

When the diagnosis is bad, Isaiah 41.10 assures us that help is on the way:

Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid,
for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.

And here is more, from Isaiah 43:

2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
4You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you . . . .
5Do not fear, for I am with you;

SURGERY

Surgery is serious. Certainly, any invasive surgery is fraught with danger. Joshua 1.9 provides these words of sacred assurance for those about to “under the knife.”

Be strong and courageous;
do not be frightened or dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

When the surgery is reported as successful--“It was big as a grapefruit, the size of an orange, but they say they got it all!”-- Psalm 103 helps us celebrate.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,
bless God holy name.
2Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all God benefits—
3who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases . . .
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5who satisfies you with good as long as you live . . . .

When the results of surgery are not good, Psalm 6 gives provides this prayer:

2Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O LORD—how long?
4Turn, O LORD, save my life;
deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.

DEPRESSION

In our time, depression seems to be a national epidemic, but it was also well known in ancient times.

The human spirit will endure sickness;
but a broken spirit—who can bear? Proverbs 18.4

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit. Ps. 43.18

In Psalm 77 the ancient poet of Israel provides anyone dealing with depression the words to use in expressing this anguish to Holy God:

1I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints.

8Has his steadfast love ceased forever?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?”

Have openly expressed doubts and despair, the poet offers a way forward through the darkness:

11I will call to mind the deeds of the LORD;
I will remember your wonders of old.
12I will meditate on all your work,
and muse on your mighty deeds.

Psalm 32 reminds us that failure to ask for help in times of distress can exasperate our travail:

While I kept silence, my body wasted away,
through my groaning (in silence) all day long. v. 3

While Psalm 18 offers the benefits of “taking it to the Lord in prayer:”

6In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From God’s temple my voice was heard,
and my cry has reached God’s ears.

DESPAIR

A friend recently wrote, “My life is such drudgery, it is nearly unspeakable. “

Sounds truly, truly awful. In fact, it sounds like Psalm 88. This is the one psalm of lament that never lets God off the hook. Here is a slightly edited version:

1O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night,
I cry out in your presence,
2let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry.
3For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;
I am like those who have no help,
5like those forsaken among the dead,
like the slain that lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6You have put me in the depths of the Pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves.
8You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a thing of horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9my eye grows dim through sorrow.

Some people will tell you God does not want to hear your complaints. Psalm 88 counters that false assertion as it continues:

13But I, O Lord, cry out to you;
in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14O Lord, why do you cast me off?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15Wretched and close to death from my youth up,
I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.
17They surround me like a flood all day long;
from all sides they close in on me.
18You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me;
my companions are in darkness.

Biblical scholars often express amazement that this psalm "made the cut;" that is, did not get removed or "doctored" to provide a "happy ending." I think Psalm 88 remains in our tradition to document that "life is difficult" and that God is willing to listen to all of our complaints. In addition, I think Psalm 88 establishes that God will accept full responsibility for our travails. Knowing this we are released from the compulsion to blame each other and--especially--ourselves.

CANCER

Cancer seems to be the plague of our time, and Psalm 6 is an appropriate Rx for cancer victims:

6I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7My eyes waste away because of grief;
they grow weak because of all my foes.
8Depart from me, all you (cancer cells),
(Text: “workers of evil”)
for the LORD has heard the sound of my weeping.

Psalm 6 concludes with this sacred assurance:

9The LORD has heard my supplication;
the LORD accepts my prayer.
10All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror;
they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.

ARTHRITIS

When “Arthur” comes calling, he is never a welcomed guest, bringing to mind Psalm 31.10:

For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my misery,
and my bones waste away.
The author of Psalm 102 may also have suffered from something like arthritis:
For my days pass away like smoke,
and my bones burn like a furnace. Ps. 102.3

PARKINSON’S DISEASE

This dreaded condition, distinguished by tremors (shaking), is said to affect one in every 100 people over the age of 65.

Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am languishing;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror. Ps. 6.2

As I see it, the Bible’s most famous victim of this disease is Daniel of “lion’s den” fame. If staring into the face of a hungry lion will not give you the tremors, nothing will! This vision in Daniel 10 acknowledges the taxing effect:

For I am shaking, no strength remains in me,
and no breath is left in me (v. 17b)!

Now note that Daniel foresees this divine response:

Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me.
He said, “Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe.
Be strong and courageous” (v.18)

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Our sacred scriptures offer much encouragement for those who working their way back from injury and illness: Here is Isaiah 40.31:

Those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
they shall walk and not faint.

Physical therapy can be a long and arduous process, as Psalm 147.11 seems to know.

God’s delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor God’s pleasure in the speed of a runner;
but the LORD takes pleasure in those who respect him,
in those who hope in God’s steadfast love.

A day-long regimen of physical and/or occupational therapy can be exhausting, making Matt 11.28 a welcomed assurance.

Come to me, all you that are weary
and are carrying heavy burdens,
and I will give you rest.

BROKEN RELATIONSHIP

The ancients didn’t know much about “divorce American style” but they knew plenty about the pain of broken relationships. Consider these verses from Psalm 69:

3I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God. v.3

Insults have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none. v. 20

But this does not keep the poet from make one more attempt for divine redress of grievance:

29 I am lowly and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, protect me.
30I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify God with thanksgiving.

Whenever domestic discord strikes, it can turn our worlds upside down. Psalm 46 can function like a life-raft on a stormy sea:

1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
Everything else may change, will change, has changed . . . .
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
God utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob (and Rachel) is our refuge.

WHEN THE ‘BAD GUYS’ ARE ON THE LOOSE . . . .

The movies, TV shows, and crime novels have the bad guys slithering through the neighborhood under the cover of darkness. But we are more likely to encounter them in the workplace. Managers, supervisors, co-workers who just seem to have an evil spirit. They make our lives miserable. Psalm 52 has their number:

1Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly?
All day long 2you are plotting destruction.
Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. 4You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

Psalm 51 also has this sacred promise for the ‘bad guys:’

5 But God will break you down forever;
God will snatch and tear you from your tent;
(God) will uproot you from the land of the living.

And this promise for the ‘good guys.’

8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

What to do about your anger?

8Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil. Psalm 37.8

Psalm 7 says let God handle your fury:

6Rise up, O LORD, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment.
9O let the evil of the wicked come to an end . . . .
10God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.
11God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.

And Psalm 31 offers this assurance of ultimate resolution

14But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
15My times are in your hand;
deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
23Love the LORD, all you his saints.
The LORD preserves the faithful,
but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the LORD.

FIGHTING ADDICTION

Substance abuse is another plague of our time. As God once offered instruction to Moses here God may be heard offering divine direction to those ‘enslaved’ by drugs or alcohol.

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Go to Pharaoh and say to him,
‘Thus says the LORD: Let my people go,*
so that they may worship me’
[Exodus 8.1 (also, 5.1, 7.16, 8.20, etc.)]. * Emphasis added.

In biblical language the people of God are often “strangers in a foreign land.” Here is 1st Peter’s advice for spiritual health:

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles
to abstain from the desires of the flesh
that wage war against the soul.
Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles . . . . 1st Peter 2.11,12a

ON ENTERING REHAB

Surely there is a future,
and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23.18

ON COMPLETING REHAB

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins. Isaiah 40:1-2

ON THE LOSS OF A JOB

Psalm 46
1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
God utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob and Rachel and Leah is our refuge.

CHANGE

Once there were only two certainties in life: death and taxes. Now there are three: death, taxes, and change. Not to worry.

Be strong and courageous;
do not be frightened or dismayed,
for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1.9

And here is more from Psalm 46:

6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
God utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob and Rachel and Leah is our refuge.

UNCERTAINTY

In the face of uncertainty on any front, here is prayer to bring to the forefront:

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O Lord, make haste to help me!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay! Ps. 70.1b,5b

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?

Well, after all of the above, you have survived. Congratulations! But, where do you go from here? May I suggest . . . .

Psalm 42.4.
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul:
how I went with the throng,
and led them in procession to the house of God,
with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving,
a multitude keeping festival.

Psalm 122.1
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”