“Jesus explained, ‘I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life.  No one comes next to the Father except through union with me.  To know me is to know my Father, too.'”

John 14:6 TPT

My husband has brain surgery scheduled a week from today.  We have been spending a month preparing, praying, and depending on friends and family to grant us encouragement. This morning, we received news that one of his scans indicates he likely also has lung cancer.

There were so many emotions and questions that hit me, chief among them being, “Why? Isn’t one medical crisis enough? How can this be good?”

One of the most heart-breaking moments in the New Testament is when Jesus spent his last meal with his disciples and tried to prepare them for his human departure, which would include him being brutally tortured and murdered.

“As they grasped for trying to understand how to keep following him, he responded with, ‘I am the Way, I am the Truth, and I am the Life'”

John 14:6a TPT

He is the Way. Jesus is much more than being the door to eternal life, he is the road leading you and guiding you through your unique journey.

Psalm 23 refers to the path through the world being “the valley of deepest darkness” and Jesus himself promised that we would have troubles (John 16:33). But Jesus is promising that he is the road designed for you to travel on. He has the route of your life and my life planned out and nothing is a surprise to him. I might not understand it now, but my husband’s brain condition and his potential lung cancer are part of a much bigger plan than I can fathom.

The God who created the universe, who individually placed the stars in orbit, is more than capable of writing the story of your life and my life. Nothing that happens is by chance, and he refuses to allow pain that doesn’t lead to something significant.

He is the Truth. The most foundational truth to the story of redemption is love.

“We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them”

1 John 4:16 TPT

There is no logical reason for God to invest in you and me. His deep love for us defies logic: the easiest solution for him was to leave us. The most sacrificial solution was for him to save us. He chose suffering to rescue you and redeem you!

However, it doesn’t feel loving for God to allow sorrow and trauma. As my husband suffers from a brain condition, and now faces another major medical concern, my mind demands an answer to the most basic question: Is God good?

Imagine you woke up one day in a hospital bed, and the doctor attending to you came in and informed you, “I had to amputate your leg.” The first question you would likely demand to know is, “Why?” 

But the real question being asked is, “Do you trust that this doctor knows what he is doing?” If it was someone you knew, someone who you were aware loved you, it is more likely that you would assume there must have been some bigger threat that required such a drastic move.

Imagine further that the doctor informed you that to understand your plight, he agreed to also have his leg amputated. Unlike you, he didn’t need the procedure. However, he wanted to understand you and suffer with you.

Friend, this is what Jesus has done and continues to do. The truth is that God so deeply loves you, he will not allow pain and suffering without real cause. Jesus is not simply watching you suffer. He has sent the Holy Spirit to live in you so that he can feel your suffering and actively participate in it with you. 

He is the Life. It is a powerful combination to know that you are in the hands of a loving God who has already planned your life in a way that is eternally significant and has meaning. Because of this, you have the power to live a truly victorious and rewarding life, free of fear.

Psalm 23 continues with these words,

“…fear will never conquer me, for you already have!  Your authority is my strength and my peace.  The comfort of your love takes away my fear.  I’ll never be lonely for you are near”

Psalm 23:4b TPT

The words “brain surgery” and “lung cancer” are scary terms. However, armed with the knowledge that Jesus is the path through this life, and the truth that he loves me enough to suffer for me, gives me courage to face whatever is ahead. There is nothing this world can take from me that he cannot restore with purpose.

I am not suggesting that suffering is easy but there is hope. Amid the agony of loss and hurt, the absence of fear gives way for a chance to leave a courageous and inspiring legacy. Instead of spending your life doing everything you can to avoid suffering, press into it. Be aware that the story is not complete yet. 

During Jesus’ conversation with the disciples before his death, as he tried to explain the fullness of who he is, he said to them,

“Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also. My Father’s house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare a place for you. And when everything is ready, I will come back and take you to myself so that you will be where I am”

John 14:1–3 TPT

Jesus’ goal in his suffering was to have you living with him in a place he has especially designed for you. Even he has not yet received the full reward for his pain-filled life. You are not yet with him in eternity, but he waits for his reunion with you. He is excited to someday have you live in his Father’s house.

Jesus is bringing you there. The road is dangerous. The journey is hard. He is asking you to trust him. To trust that he is the Way. He is the Truth. He is the Life.

May you and I find supernatural and steady peace in the face of suffering as we learn to have faith and follow him.

“I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace. Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!”

John 14:27 TPT

Discover healing power in the person of God.

The Healing Names of Jesus by Jenita Pace explores thirty-one names of God to help you deepen your understanding of who he is, find meaning in your pain, and renew your strength. Written by a licensed professional counselor with personal experience, this devotional combines the power of the gospel with proven coping strategies to offer healing to those battling depression and anxiety. Each entry includes
• an inspirational reading from the Bible,
• a compelling story,
an interactive exercise, and
an encouraging prayer.

The more you understand God, the less power your dark thoughts and feelings have over you. Draw closer to him and let hope color your world again. Click here to learn more.