Under the Knife

Last week I went under the surgeon’s knife for the first time ever in my life. It was a strange kind of experience, scary - yes, but at the same time, reassuring. Someone was taking care of something that was wrong in my life - and someone who had more knowledge and experience at this than I could hope to have. There was the possibility of a cancerous tumour developing in my right ear lobe and, thanks to the dear friend who first spotted the potential issue, and the speed and efficiency in their response, of the Instituto Português de Oncologia, the object has been removed as of last Monday.

Along the way, I have only praise, and thanks to God, for all the care and encouragement I received, both professionally and personally, from family, and, especially, from Liliane, a dear friend who texted me every day with her conversation with God about my health. So last Sunday I decided to preach in our small  fellowship on the Word as a double edged scalpel and God as the ultimate surgeon.  Not only does He identify all that’s wrong with us and surgically remove it, but He also creates something new and wonderful in its place.

There's something about that moment of lying on the operating table, helpless, knowing that you can do nothing in and of yourself, when, at the same time something badly needs to be done, and then, trusting your life and your body into the hands of a total stranger on the basis of his credentials and qualifications.

Yet, how slow we are to believe that our God is someone worth trusting in, someone who, according to Psalm 139, knows us intimately and cares for us utterly, and that his scalpel, sharper than any two edged sword, can open up the deepest recesses of our innermost being, and remove all that is harmful, injurious, and threatens our well being.

"He knows the way that I take; and when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10) and 

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut 33:27)