Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Psalm 118:1

The followers of Jesus had no idea what lay ahead in Jerusalem. Yet the act of praising God with such joy and enthusiasm must have built them up, empowering them as they moved into the final stage toward Calvary.

Years before my diagnosis of cancer, our family lived in beautiful Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) during a time of politic unrest. One long weekend, my husband and I conducted a Christian conference at an out-of-town venue. Prior to a time of worship, we spread palm branches on the floor. After reading the Palm Sunday story, we encouraged our listeners to use the branches in an active display of praise. They responded with enthusiasm, able to turn their backs on the possibility of a terrorist attack on the conference venue. As we sang praises to God, the dangers and fears of daily life grew dim. Our God was greater than the threat to our lives. After the conference, we returned to our homes with new courage.

Many years after that conference, I faced my own personal battle against cancer. The day I commenced radiotherapy, I lay alone in fearful anticipation, surrounded by machines that hummed and roared at me. In my terror, I turned to the Lord in song. I sang praise songs and muttered prayers of thanksgiving. As I focussed my thoughts on Jesus and not on the machines, I gained courage that saw me through the treatment. My God was greater than the threat from the machines and from the disease itself.

PRAYER: Thank you Father for the weapon of praise. Help me to use it as I move through this valley of cancer treatment.

©Shirley M. Corder

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