A Prayer When You Are Faced with an Incurable Diagnosis Written by: Vivian Bricker, Read by: Lia Girard Bible Reading: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” - Isaiah 46:10

 

A Prayer When You Are Faced with an Incurable Diagnosis - Your Daily Prayer - March 6

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A Prayer When You Are Faced with an Incurable Diagnosis 
Written by: Vivian Bricker, Read by: Lia Girard

Bible Reading: “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” - Isaiah 46:10

Read or Listen Below:

Recently, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder. Sadly, there is no cure, and all I can do is take medicine to try to prevent the disease from growing worse. To say that these last few months have been a whirlwind is an understatement. Each day, I have been faced with pain that I have never experienced before. While I have been used to emotional pain for most of my life, I hadn't been used to physical pain like this.

With this disorder, I think my mental state has grown much worse over this past year. Knowing that I have an incurable diagnosis is a lot to carry every day. Most days, I want to hide and pretend it isn't real. The way this condition affects my overall life makes me want to stop living. While this can sound grim, it is honest. I'm not going to lie in order to make others feel better, and neither should you. If you are going through an incurable diagnosis right now, know that you are not alone.

After doing hours of research, I found that autoimmune disorders are not as uncommon as I used to believe. Autoimmune disorders are actually quite common and are not considered rare by the medical community. Though my life has changed with a new hardship, God’s plans for me will not be thwarted. He can still use me to carry out His wonderful plans.

This is why we must not think our incurable diagnosis is a game-over card. Instead, we need to think of it as a roadblock that can be managed with the Lord’s help. While some of us may never be cured of an illness on this side of heaven, we can still trust in the Lord every day. And one day, we will experience true freedom from illness, and we will never feel pain again. Illnesses, pain, and death will be things of the past.

In truth, these things might not even pass into our minds anymore since we will be captivated by the Lord and all of His beauty. This doesn't mean our pain now doesn't matter, but rather, it means that there are brighter days to come when our pain will no longer control our lives. 

Until then, we have to keep moving forward and trust God. I understand this is hard, as I have been challenged in my faith over the course of this year in more ways than I can count. Have I succeeded in all of these challenges? No, I have not. I have grown angry at God and blamed Him for my pain, illness, and lack of healing. However, I have also learned the goodness of God and the simple joys He gives me when I do feel good, when I feel the crisp air on my face, or when I see the smile of a loved one. 

God directly tells us, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please’” (Isaiah 46:10). God’s purpose will stand, and He will do all that He pleases. Our incurable diagnoses will not usurp His plans, purposes, or will for our lives. 

There are still many great things to come, even if we don’t see them right now. There are many great things to come, and they will be fulfilled by God. When the days are dark and hard, find hope in God’s words as recorded in Isaiah 46:10. Find strength in His love, and know that His purposes for your life will prevail.

Let's Pray: 
Dear God, thank You for still having a purpose for my life. Some days, I feel like my life is over. This incurable diagnosis is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with in my life. Please give me strength and hope through You. In Your Son’s Name, I pray, Amen.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Jacob Wackerhausen

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Vivian Bricker obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, followed by a Master of Arts with an emphasis in theology. She loves all things theology, mission work, and helping others learn about Jesus. Find more of her content at Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/. 

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Originally published Thursday, 06 March 2025.

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How a Good Lent Can Help Fix a Bad Economy by John Horvat II February 26, 2013

 How a Good Lent Can Help Fix a Bad Economy

by John Horvat IIFebruary 26, 2013

To those who see no link between Lent and our failing economy, it might be the case to look again.

Economics is about people. It cannot be reduced to numbers, formulae and analyses. “The subject matter of economics,” observes economic historian Odd Langholm, “is properly the habits, customs, and ways of thinking of producers, consumers, buyers, sellers, borrowers, lenders, and all who engage in economic transactions.”

That means our moral habits can have a definite effect on determining if our economy grows — or fails.

In my new book, Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go, I show how our present economic crisis is being caused by what I call “frenetic intemperance.”

Frenetic intemperance can be defined as a restless spirit inside certain sectors of modern economy that foments a drive inside men to throw off legitimate restraints and gratify disordered passions. It is not a specifically economic problem but a moral and psychological vice that throws everything out of balance. When frenetic intemperance dominates, it often sends the whole system into convulsions—as we saw during the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. And, unless addressed, it is virulent enough to crash the entire financial system.

In our daily lives, we see frenetic intemperance in the tendency to desire everything, right away, regardless of the consequences. Everyone must have the latest gadget even though they do not need it and really cannot afford it. The mad lack of restraint leads to an unstable economy laden with boom and bust, debt and stress. It creates a cold mechanistic economy where money rules. It gives rise to a materialistic culture which values quantity and utility over quality and beauty. The long and short of it is that a frenzied economy comes from frenzied lifestyles.

And that brings us to Lent. Fighting bad moral habits and practicing restraint is what Lent is all about. More than giving up a box of chocolates, how about giving up habits that foster frenetic intemperance, which is the real root cause of our economic decline? Besides the personal benefits of interior peace, detachment, and greater spiritual freedom, a good Lent can also help save our economy.

Here are some suggestions on how this might be done.

1.  Avoid speculative investments that promise huge returns on investment in little time. Such offers usually do not deliver what they promise and always feed frenetic desires that create anxiety and stress.

2.  Stay away from business relationships that are cold and mechanical. Treat workers like family. Respect those for whom you work.

3.  Avoid trendy business gurus and books that call for radical changes that will “revolutionize” a company or keep people in a constant state of change.

4.  Eschew work schedules that are inhuman and stressful. Learn to appreciate leisure.

5.  Avoid compulsive buying especially during those sales frenzies around the holidays.

6.  Shun the abuse of credit cards and especially the temptation to pay only the minimal monthly amount. Avoid consumer debt as you would the plague (i.e. borrowing to buy things for your immediate consumption, e.g. that new laptop, games, cars, fashion clothing, etc. that you cannot afford, as opposed to investment debt , e.g. your home mortgage).

7.  Learn not to have everything right now. The culture of instant gratification creates a frenzied lifestyle — and economy.

8.  Do not take as role models those who have money as the central axis of their lives. Admire character not a person’s bottom line.

9.  Resist the temptation of seeing only quantity and cheapness. Learn to appreciate the beauty of quality and good taste.

10.  Avoid lavish display, especially of fancy gadgetry that leads to a desire to keep up with the e-Joneses with the latest version.

As Lent progresses, we would do well to do something that has an impact beyond our own spiritual lives. It would be good to practice charity toward our neighbor by looking at the big picture. Giving up frenetic intemperance is a good start.

Click Here to Order Your Copy Today

John Horvat II’s book Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got Here, and Where We Need to Go is available in hardcover, FREE softcover, Amazon Kindle and Audible audiobook editions. You can buy the book here.