“Why won’t God heal my body? Why do I have to go through all this pain? Why can I not catch a break? Going though chemo was hard enough, but back surgery and so many different procedures?” These are a few of the questions a good friend posed to me recently. Just this week I met with someone who is battling cancer and other ailments from back surgery. I prayed with someone who received news she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I received an update from a church member who had endometrioid ovarian cancer surgically removed. Finally, one of my soccer buddies told our team his cancer is back!
Now, what do you say to a person who is undergoing chemo? What hope do you offer someone who is a death’s door? What do you say to someone who is victim to an incurable disease?
Researchers and medical field experts have longed tried to find a cure for cancer. Treatments vary, such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, hormone therapy, stem cell transplant, precision medicine, and biomarker testing. But no medicine is able to completely eradicate this terrible disease.
The Cure for Cancer
Have I found a physical cure for cancer? Of course not. But there is a cure for it. “Beating” cancer is not only a physical battle. Cancer is cured when we come to faith in Christ. On resurrection Sunday we celebrate the fact that Jesus came to give us full healing. His ministry on the cross was foretold by the prophet Isaiah who wrote, “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).
The problem? Christ followers (and non-believers) are still subject to cancer. If we Christ’s wounds healed us, why do Christ followers, for instance, still get sick? Many Christ followers, some of whom are dear friends, have cancer. What we have to keep in mind is that God may or may not heal someone from cancer. The reason he heals some and not others is a mystery. He is sovereign.
When speaking to my friend who is battling cancer, he asked me, “Daniel, if God is able to cure cancer and or any disease, why is there so much evil in the world?” He was simply stating what Christ apologists call the “problem of evil.”
What is the purpose of suffering? Some suffering is not difficult to understand – such as suffering from making bad decisions, undergoing an injury because of some sports’ induced activity, etc. However, how do we make sense of senseless suffering? Why do “good” people suffer?
Well, a robust answer to these questions is beyond the scope of this article. So I want to keep it on the general level. God uses our suffering for good. At times God uses our suffering to help others, to draw us closer to our loved ones, to bring us to our knees in prayer, to soften our hearts toward others and himself. But on a macro level, God uses our suffering for his glory. The greatest example of God’s purpose through suffering was his Son’s death on the cross. He was abused, beaten, mocked, and crucified, and if he had not, we would be left hopeless.
There is purpose in suffering. Those who belong to Christ are already healed, but not physically. One day we will be. In the future, we will receive new, imperishable bodies, resurrected bodies that are no longer subject to sickness (1 Corinthians 15:35–58). Once again, it is Christ’s own resurrection that gives us the hope of full healing, that is why “we do not suffer as those without hope.” Rather, as Paul assures us, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”
The Purpose of Our Suffering
The Westminster Catechism states that “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” The purpose of human existence, according to Scripture, is the glory of God. God made us so we can delight ourselves in him, and so that he can delight himself in us. Sweet and perfect fellowship with God is the end goal.
Therefore, our suffering, when God-centered, produces sweet and intimate fellowship with the Creator-God. I believe God can heal anyone he choses. But it does not mean he will. God may or may not heal your physical cancer. But there is a type of cancer that is way more deadly…spiritual cancer. The difference, however, is that there is a cure for spiritual cancer!
Jesus is the cure for cancer. “I am the resurrection and the life,” he tells us. “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die,” John 11:25–26. Jesus’ death on the cross eradicated our spiritual cancer. I received my cure from spiritual cancer when I gave my life to Jesus as the age of thirteen years old. By conquering death, Jesus took away the sting of sin (2 Corinthians 15:55–56). Furthermore, he gives us the very assurance of life, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28).
John Piper’s article in 2006 titled “Don’t Waste Your Cancer” offers some help insight on the issue of suffering through cancer. In the article he offers 10 ways God can use someone’s cancer suffering for good. He pointedly remarks,
You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ … Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ
Why is God allowing some you to suffer from cancer? I do not fully know. Even though I do not have cancer at this moment, neither do I ever want to get it, nothing assures me that I may not one day. Neither are you prevented from getting it if you do not have it. However, one thing is certain, God can and is glorified in our suffering. God can use our cancer to change other people’s eternal destiny.
Let’s be honest, most of us live as if we will “always” have tomorrow. We do not often reflect on the reality of death until it hits close to home. However, as I highlight it in my recently published book, this world is not our home. We will one day die, whether of cancer of other causes. But, the question we need to answer is … Where will I spend the rest of eternity?
I cannot even begin to imagine the pain you are going through if you are battling cancer. My heart is heavy when I think about the doubts, fears, and troubling emotions you carry. I pray the Lord will keep you encouraged and that you will be healed. But most importantly, I pray that you will know you can place your hope in the sure fact that he offers you life, eternal life. I pray that you will know he has cured cancer by dying on the cross for you. Rest assured, if you or any of your loved ones are battling this awful disease, Christ offers you peace, hope, and love. He is the cure to all of our ailments, including cancer.
Written by Daniel Messina
Here’s a link to one of my latest articles: https://thepreachersdevoblog.com/hes-risen-are-you-sure/
POST NOTE: Here’s a link to a song by Shane and Shane called “Though You Slay Me.” I listen to it when I am discouraged and when I think about suffering. I believe it will bless you. So, if you have a few minutes, listen to it: