I read two books while I was on holidays last week. One was ‘The Tournament’ by Matthew Reilly, which like most of his other books was literary fast-food. The other was ‘Hope Beyond Cure’, by Dave McDonald, which is a terrific short book that I found very helpful.
Dave was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer a number of years ago and this book is all about the hope beyond cure that Jesus can offer.
Many of our lives have been touched by cancer (my mother died of cancer, my father had it twice), and what this book does is speak about what it’s like to be a Christian and be diagnosed with cancer and the difference that Jesus makes in thinking about illness and death.
While nothing Dave says is new, it’s striking in its honesty and clarity, and it’s one of those rare Christian books that could be easily given to a person dealing with cancer or a serious illness.
It’s also helpful for those of us who have been Christian for a while and I’d like to leave you with an excerpt that i found really encouraging. Speaking about Psalm 62 he says…
In these verses are two things in particular about God that have strengthened my hope time and time again. First, God is powerful; second, his love is unfailing. If God were powerful but not loving, I could never approach him. If God were loving but weak, I’d have no guarantee that he could help me. Yet because God is both powerful and loving, he offers genuine hope to all who come to him for help.
These words have warmed my heart and restored my confidence in God. When my hope falters I know that God isn’t the problem – I am. If i feel that God is remote and uninterested, it’s only because I have forgotten God. He is calling me to come to him, to find refuge in him, to find rest and hope in him. And God has made this possible through his Son, Jesus Christ.
Partners in Prayer 