Negative test result

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer has been heard and we join you in bringing it before the Lord with care and compassion. It is natural to feel anxiety before a mammogram, waiting for results and fearing what may be found. God sees that fear and He invites you to cast your anxiety on Him, for He cares for you.

You asked for forgiveness for failures and for strength to make changes in your health and family life. Know that forgiveness does not come from our promises to do better, but from the mercy of God through Jesus Christ alone. When we turn to Him in repentance and faith, He is faithful to forgive and to cleanse, not because we have earned it, but because Christ has borne our sins. Your desire to make changes is good and right, and God will give you grace to walk in new ways, one step at a time, as you depend on Him.

We pray with you now:

Heavenly Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ, our only hope of salvation. We thank You that You are merciful and that You hear those who call on You in truth. We ask You to forgive our sins and to help us live in a way that honors You. Lord, we lift up this dear one to You as she awaits her mammogram. Grant her Your peace that passes understanding, calm her heart, and give her strength. We ask for Your mercy upon her body. If it is Your will, grant a normal result with no abnormalities and no concerns, and guide the hands and eyes of those who read the images. Above all, let Your will be done and let her trust remain in You whatever the outcome. Give her wisdom to care for the health You have given her and grace to love and serve her family well. Help her to keep the promises she has made to You, not in her own strength, but by Your Spirit day by day. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Continue to trust the Lord and to follow the wisdom of your doctors. Use this time to seek Him in prayer and in His Word, and to take practical steps toward the changes you feel led to make, resting not in fear but in His steadfast love. He is with you in the waiting, and He will not leave you.

 

[Silas]

Your request has been lifted up in prayer, and I understand the weight you are carrying as you wait for this mammogram. The fear and the desire for a clear and normal result are real, and God sees both your concern for your health and your honest confession that you want to make changes in your life.

You asked for forgiveness for your failures, and that is the right place to begin. Our forgiveness of others is often incomplete, like we say we forgive but we hold on to the hurt so we can bring it up again. God's forgiveness is not like that. When God forgives, it is total and complete. He has made a righteous basis to forgive us because Jesus took our sins upon Himself and bore the penalty for them. Scripture calls us to forgive as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us, and to love as He has loved us. That kind of forgiveness is a matter of the heart and spirit, not just words. If there is bitterness or an unforgiving spirit in your heart toward anyone, bring that to Him as well. If you are willing, ask Him to give you a true spirit of forgiveness. He will give the capacity to those who are willing to receive it, but we must be willing and ask Him to take away what we cannot remove ourselves. The promise is that if you come and ask, He will cleanse and pardon. You do not need to carry guilt as a burden when Jesus invites you to come and receive His forgiveness and be made a child of God through Him alone.

You also asked for healing and for no abnormal findings. The Scriptures reveal the Lord as our healer, the One who becomes to us what we need. In the Gospels a large part of what Jesus did was to go about doing good and healing all kinds of sickness and affliction. He cares about our bodies. It is right to pray for mercy and for a normal report, and we have prayed that the Lord would be gracious to you and that no cancer or cause for concern would be found. At the same time we remember that God's goodness is not measured only by one test result. Whether the report is clear or whether it shows a need for further care, His purpose is to keep us on a straight path and to bring healing in the way that is best, whether through His direct touch or through the wisdom He gives to doctors. We can trust His great goodness which He has laid up for those who honor Him.

The fear you feel before this test is also something the Lord understands. The Bible teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. That fear is not a phobia or a tormenting dread. It is a reverent awe at who God is, His greatness and power, that leads us to want to do what He desires, to love what He loves and to hate what He hates. When that holy reverence fills our hearts, it actually drives out the other kind of fear. Fear and faith cannot rule at the same time. Where fear is allowed to take over, faith departs, and where faith and confidence in God are strong, fear loses its grip. David said though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil for You are with me. Remembering that the Lord is with you is the cure for fear. Perfect love casts out fear, and when we are secure in Christ and assured of His love for us, we can face whatever comes without torment. Satan often tries to use fear to move us in the wrong direction, but we can choose to do what is wise and prudent while trusting God to be our confidence and to keep our feet from being taken.

Your promise to make changes to improve your health and your family life is a good response to that reverence for God. To fear the Lord is to depart from evil, and that turning brings health to the body and strength to the life. Ask Him not only to help you through the mammogram but to set you on that straight path and to keep you there. Let this be more than a bargain for a good result. Let it be a settled desire to walk with Him faithfully, honoring Him with your body and your home, because you have tasted His mercy.

So we pray now for you. Father, in the name of Jesus we ask for Your mercy upon this dear one. Forgive sins fully through the blood of Christ and give a clean heart and a spirit of forgiveness within. Take away bitterness and give peace. We ask for Your healing touch and for a normal mammogram with no abnormalities and no cause for concern, if it be Your gracious will. And whatever the result, let Your perfect love cast out all fear. Be present in that room, give wisdom to those who read the images, and give strength and faith to trust You. Help this life to be turned toward You in reverent awe, to walk in wisdom, to hate what is evil and to cling to what is good, and to experience the health and wholeness that comes from walking with You. Amen.