pay attention to the voice of god

Fortunately, I'm well on my way to healing from surgery (this past summer) to remove melanoma from my left arm.  I am so thankful for the medical team who have been apart of my diagnosis, surgery, and recovery.  (Pictured above is me with one of the surgical nurses who tended to me during the surgery recovery process.)  I've shared in another post ("Deal With Problems When They Are Small") that this cancer was discovered after I my dermatologist retired and I had gone for three years without a dermatological check up.  I became concerned about some skin issues after a friend, in my church study group, was diagnosed with a cancer on his face, and I felt something of an "inner urging" to find a new dermatologist and have some places on my arms and face looked at.  This, however, proved to be a more challenging task that I had imagined.  Still I felt that God was with me and speaking to me through out this entire process.

When I called my primary care physician and requested a referral to a new dermatologist, she gave me a name but when I contacted his office (in May of 25) I was told that the first available appointment would be in November.  At first I thought, "Ok, I'll go with that," but something inside of me (a still small voice) was saying, "No, you need to see someone now."  When I asked if there was someone other than the doctor I had been referred to who could see me, I was told that there was a new doctor coming into the practice (from another state) and that he was a Board Certified Dermatologist and that he would have immediate openings; so I said, "Sign me up with him."  I was so glad that I did.  First of all, I really liked him (his demeanor, style of communication, thoroughness, etc.).  Second, the inner 'nudge of urgency," which I had felt, proved to be of significance.

There were several areas on my arms and face that I wanted to the doctor to look at.  He examined them all and told me that none of them concerned him.  But when he came to my left arm he noticed a spot and said, "This, we are going to pay attention to."  He immediately told me, "Lay down; I'm going to numb your arm and take a biopsy."  Eight days later he called to tell me it was melanoma and that he wanted me to see a surgeon immediately.  

The surgeon saw me three days later, confirmed that it was a serious situation but his first opening for surgery was over a month away.  He said, "Let's get you on a 'bump up' list in case there might be a cancelation.  Sure enough, on Tuesday of the next week (just 5 days after our initial visit) I received a phone call from his administrator who said, "Can you be available for surgery this Friday?"  I was a little reluctant - not sure I was psychologically ready, but again a voice inside of me said, "Do it now!"  I told the administrator, "I haven't even had my pre-op tests yet," and she said, "Be at Hillcrest Hospital tomorrow morning at 8:00, we've arranged for all of your pre-op tests."  I was somewhat overwhelmed by how fast this was all moving.  But the pre-op studies all went well and on Friday morning I checked into the hospital for a radiological procedure followed by surgery.  

After the surgery the doctor told my family that he was pretty certain he had removed all of the cancer from my arm but that we would have to wait 7 days for the results of the lymph node biopsy.  At my one-week follow up appointment, the surgeon, first thing,  come into the room and said, "Your lymph nodes are all clear."  What a tremendous relief!

But then I wondered, "What if?"  What if I hadn't had my initial appointment moved up from November to June?  What if  the surgeon hadn't be able to see me just three days following the dermatologist's referral?  What if there hadn't be a "bump up" opening from four weeks out to three days out?  What if I hadn't listened to, what I believe was, the voice of God prodding me each step of the way with a sense of urgency and giving me courage to make good decisions in spite of my anxiety?  How much deeper and wider might this melanoma have grown on my arm if the initial appointment hadn't been until November?  What are the chances that the melanoma might have spread to the lymph system if the surgery hadn't been performed for another month?  As I looked back on this entire event, I was overwhelmed by the sense of God's intervention, guidance, and speaking - deep within my heart.  In short, I am so glad that I paid attention to the voice of God.  

In recent years, secular skeptics have made fun of Christians who talk about "hearing the voice of God."  (An experience by Vice President Mike Pence and ridicule he received from some day-time TV hosts comes to mind.)  But the fact of the matter is, Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me."  Even the great hymns of our faith declare, "He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own."  Yes, I came away from my recent experience with cancer with renewed conviction that God does indeed speak to us.  Sometimes He speaks in the midst of crisis.  But I believe, in actuality, He wants to speak to us each and every day.  My question for us all is:  Are we paying attention to the voice of God? It is certainly a discipline that I hope to practice more faithfully.