As I woke that morning, I knew keeping my mind on His presence would be a challenge.  I faced a thyroid biopsy for cancer, the dreaded c word.  My anxiety would go through the roof if I didn’t keep my mind on His presence and find peace I needed to survive the day, much less thrive throughout the day.  Here are three things I discovered.

Start the Day Focused on Him

Settling into my big overstuffed chair, I opened my Jesus Calling  devotional by Sarah Young, to the day.  The first words that jumped off the page were, :Walk peacefully with Me through this day.  You are wondering how you will cope with all that is expected of you. You must traverse this day like any other: one step at a time.

That’s it!  I thought.  Walk peacefully, one step at a time with Him.  The accompanying scripture from Exodus 33:14 also reassured me. God is talking to Moses: The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”   If God would go with Moses and everything will be fine, then I can count on Him to go with me.

I could feel peace settle over my spirit.

Ask Others to Pray for You

Because I was going into an unknown situation, I had asked others to pray for me.  Have you reached out to others to do that for you?  There is something about being buoyed by the Spirit when you are being carried by the prayers of others.

Later that morning before the biopsy, I got a text from my pastor who let me know he was praying for me.  It reinforced how I was to walk peacefully through the day with Jesus as it read,May God’s peace guard you.  Now he didn’t know that peace was my theme for the day, nor how I needed peace to combat my anxiety.  But God knew and let him know how to pray for me.

God is such a good, good father.

Keep An Eye Out for His Fingerprints

Finally, my husband drove us to the doctor’s office for the procedure.  I felt eerily calm while waiting.  Going to a doctor’s office normally raises my blood pressure by 20 points. I could feel the prayers of people as we waited.

When I laid down on the procedure table, right above me was an acoustical tile ceiling, with cross pieces holding it.  Directly above me, those cross pieces formed a cross.  “Thank you Jesus, for your obvious reminder of your presence.”

The doctor kept checking on me, asking how I was doing.  They numb your neck before inserting the needles so it’s more prickly and a pressure sensation than anything.  He noted he’d like more patients like me.  I told him I had people praying for me and that God was good.

He said, “I can’t argue with that.”

The Take Away

I still marvel at how peaceful the whole procedure turned out to be and how taken care of I felt.  The peace remained with me the rest of the day, even into the nap I took afterwards.

Being intentional to ask Him to go with me, ask others to pray and then look for Him during the procedure gave me peace beyond what I could possibly imagine.

Could you do that in whatever situation you are facing?  He promises to go with you, to give you rest and it will be fine.

I still don’t know the outcome of the biopsy as the results came back indeterminate, which means when they do surgery, they will see what they find.

However, I know that I can find peace as I go.  You can, too, in whatever situation you are facing.

Just ask and seek.

I would love to pray for you.  Just contact me and let me know how I can be praying for the peace that you are seeking.  Blessings!

Nancy Booth wants to create safe spaces for you, helping you find ways to have two-way conversations with God.  She loves encouraging you to look for ways He is at work. Nancy is a spiritual director and writer.  She would love to accompany you on your journey of discovery to hear and see more of the God who delights in you.  Peace, hope and freedom could be yours Contact her today..