Weapon.

 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14

The Battle Belongs to God

He said, “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.  Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice. 2 Chronicles 20:15-18

King Jehoshaphat was faced with a major battle against God’s people. Moab and Ammon’s armies were coming, and they had to make decisions about how to get ready. God sent a Spirit-filled person to him to help him know which way he should go. God reassured him that the battle belonged to THE LORD! The next day, the enemy army would arrive, and the battle would begin. The king listened to wise counsel and responded with WORSHIP! And his people followed his lead! Later on in the same passage, he sent out singers on the front lines of battle!!

After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
    for his love endures forever.”
 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 
2 Chronicles 20:21-22

The head of the army, most likely the deadliest place in the battle. The valley of the shadow of death. The one place you probably wouldn’t find singing or rejoicing. The scariest steps, with thoughts of certain death. The front lines of battle.

And yet, the king sent the worshipers there!
SING!
GIVE THANKS!
DECLARE GOD’S FOREVER LOVE!

It made NO sense in worldly thinking. Right…Sure….go send those singers to go die right there on the front row. What? It seemed crazy!

But God DWELLS IN THE PRAISES OF HIS PEOPLE! He made a promise to fight for them, and it wasn’t just a song that was sung. Those brave soldiers were leading worship in the faces of the enemy, declaring who God is and trusting Him completely. Worship filled the battlefield. As they sang and praised God, the Lord sent ambushes on their enemies. The BEST verse here and most incredible: and they were defeated.

WOW! You mean to tell me that praise and worship and singing are important? Heck yeah they are! Declaring the power of the one true God is one of the greatest weapons we have!

On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Berakah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Berakah to this day. Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause
to rejoice over their enemies.
2 Chronicles 20:26-27

Valley of Berakah! BERAKAH means PRAISE! From that day on, the battlefield was named by that defining moment where PRAISING God, and HIS Presence became the most powerful weapon against the enemy.

Listen to one of my favorite new songs called “My Weapon” that goes right along with this message!

No Prison Can Hold His Presence

Another one of my favorite stories from the New Testament was a battle for a man’s soul, waging in the darkness of a prison. While Paul and Silas were arrested for doing ministry, they encountered the power of God in a remarkable way.

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.  After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.  When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 
Acts 16:22-25

Okay, so let me get this straight. You get thrown into prison, for healing a girl, and are completely innocent of a crime, and then you are stripped naked and beaten with rods. THEN you are flogged (remember the whipping of Jesus, it’s the same treatment) there’s blood everywhere. THEN you’re thrown into prison, with chains on your feet.

Dark, locked up, bleeding, accused, beaten, and around midnight, you start………
PRAYING AND SINGING? WHAT?????

YES! Paul and Silas also knew the power of God’s presence. In the middle of the battle, in the chains, in the hurt, in the unfair situation, they praised God. And here’s what happened:

Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. Acts 16:26

WORSHIP SHOOK THE FOUNDATIONS!
WORSHIP SHOOK THE PRISON!
WORSHIP BLEW OPEN THE DOORS!
WORSHIP UNCHAINED THE PRISONERS!
Worshiping God, yet again proved to be the most powerful weapon in any situation!

The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”Acts 16:27-30

The jailor had failed on the job. He was supposed to guard the prisoners. Romans were trained in the art of death and captivity. Soldiers who allowed prisoners to go free would pay with their very lives. And so, a failure, knowing that he was going to die, the jailor became suicidal.

A new battle raged, an urgent battle for the soul of the jailer. God put Paul and Silas in his path to stop him. Instead of death and tragedy, salvation was the story of the night! The man did not kill himself, but asked the MOST important question: “What must I do to be saved?” Worship paved the way to an opportunity for salvation!

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household. When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.”  The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.” Acts 16:31-36

That night was powerful. God’s presence opened the doors and broke the chains loose. The suffering of Paul and Silas and their choice to worship in chains, led the way to an opportunity to share Jesus to save a man and his family from their sins. Even in the prison, the GOOD NEWS met the jailer there: Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”

This song reminds me that MY GOD FIGHTS FOR ME! Such a great reminder:

My Battle with Cancer

Some of you may be thinking, those are some great Bible stories, Hannah, but how do they apply to you? God’s Word is active and living. His truth is eternal. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Worshiping God is powerful on our battlefields. Worshiping God is powerful in our prisons. God’s presence is constant even when we feel trapped by our circumstances. People who are getting ready to choose eternal death can know how to be saved, and choose eternal life through Jesus instead. Our suffering can lead us to places we never wanted to go, but give us the divine appointments necessary to reach people who desperately need to hear the gospel of Jesus.

I made a decision, when I was very young, to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe in the Lord Jesus. My soul is won. No cancer can take that from me. Nothing can take that away from me. Even if I die, I’m with Jesus in Heaven, so let’s keep that at the front of our minds as we continue. The most important battle in my life was won on the cross 2000 years ago, when Jesus took my place. He bled for my sins, took my punishment, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Any other battle has to answer to that victory, cause in the end, HE WON ME! I belong to Jesus!

Cancer is a battle. That’s why they call it a FIGHT against cancer. Sometimes they refer to us as warriors or survivors. There are many different battles we have to fight: emotional, physical, spiritual, relational, mental, psychological, financial, medical, and more. The weapons we take up against cancer are difficult: Surgery. Recovery. IVF. Chemotherapy. Radiation. We carry around scars. Deep wounds, physical and emotional. Each part of the fight is unique and difficult in its own way. Each cancer is different. No two stories are exactly the same, but God is still the same. His truth remains.

We are WARRIORS. Take up your armor. Stand firm, and take up your weapons. My first line of defense is JESUS. This battle belongs to God. My second line of defense is PRAYER! God hears the prayers of His people. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much! My third is worship of Him, because historically and biblically, this is SO powerful! My weapon is a melody! Fourth, God has also provided knowledge and medicine to fight this fight, and this is the journey we walk through. I am SO thankful to live in a day and age where the medicine and testing is available to know the enemy and fight with weapons that are SPECIFIC to my cancer. Praise the Lord for modern medicine!

Tomorrow, I start chemotherapy. I feel like King J from the first story. The microscopic vast armies of the cancer cells are coming against my health and threatening my life and wellness. I have already fought many battles up to this point, but this one will be a new fight. Tomorrow we start the microscopic battle. The chemotherapy will flow through my veins into my body and destroy the enemy. The verse is pounding in my heart, preparing me:

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 
Tomorrow march down against them.
2 Chronicles 20:15

Listen to this AWESOME song, based on a true story, called “Raise A Hallelujah!” Amazing reminder to keep singing, louder than the unbelief!

Chemotherapy

The BEST appointment I had last week was with my oncologist. We had a test done on my tumor, called an oncotype test. This tests the type/aggression of my specific cancer, and it helps us know our enemy well enough to determine the best form of chemotherapy.

My oncotype score was 27 out of 100!

The low scores are usually 26 and lower. And my doctor told me that since my lymph nodes are negative, this is GREAT NEWS! We will treat my case with the Medium Severity Chemotherapy.

This treatment will be once every 3 weeks, for 3 months (12 weeks). So it’s only 4 sessions! I was amazed that we will be able to knock it out that quickly. The timeline was very encouraging to us! I will not need a port, but it will be administered through IV.

Start date is tomorrow, Wednesday, March 11

There are many side effects to come, so much so that I have a full folder of them. But I know that with every difficulty, that is part of the war against the cancer cells in my body. I won’t list all of the symptoms here, but there are many, and sometimes it is daunting. But again, one day at a time.

One of the most obvious side effects is complete HAIR LOSS. My oncologist has told me that I will have an almost 100% chance of losing my hair in the specific treatment that is laid out for me. Now that being said, I know people try to be nice in saying “Oh you know that sometimes people DON’T lose their hair due to chemotherapy. Maybe you won’t lose your hair!” I know you are trying to be encouraging, but please, don’t say that. I know what my doctor has told me in my case, and I am preparing appropriately. Remember, every breast cancer case is different and unique to each person.

My doctor has told me I will lose my hair. I have to prepare my heart and my emotions for this loss. I know it will grow back. But it is still a loss. Different people handle hair loss in different ways. I wept over mine, several times. I was super sad, because I loved my long hair very much. This week, I made the decision to cut my hair really short. That way, as my hair does fall out, it will be less traumatic, and more manageable.

Surgery Recovery

They say that recovery from a double mastectomy takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks after surgery. Tomorrow marks exactly 6 weeks! I am almost completely bounced back in my recovery from surgery, which is great! Just in time for chemo, which will knock me back down again. But that’s okay. No complications is a HUGE blessing, and I’m very grateful!

When I went to get my echocardiogram last week, it was very uncomfortable, especially since they had to work around my tissue expanders to get a good picture. One of the most encouraging things about it was when the nurse went to stick the wires on me for monitoring, she gasped, “Wow, where did you get your reconstruction done?” She was shocked and impressed by my results. After that, it occurred to me that most of the patients she probably encountered were from that original plastic surgeon. The one who declined my insurance. I had seen results that were pretty scary from that office, and my results didn’t even have the slightest bruising. THANK GOD for His providence and protection! He was reminding me that He had led me to the best doctors, for the best possible results. I couldn’t be happier.

One of the lingering struggles from the DM recovery is numbness and weakness in my right arm. I do my best to exercise daily. I have a number of arm exercises that help with range of motion. I feel like Mulan because some of them I have to lift a broom stick in the air.

Prayer Requests:

• Pray for Hannah, Derek, and our families as we walk through this together.
• Pray for Hannah’s first day of chemotherapy tomorrow. Pray for good blood work, an easy IV during treatment, and no complications before, during, and after treatment.
• Pray that we will be able to balance life and cancer stuff well. Pray that we would choose to be like King J, Paul, and Silas, to pray, sing, worship, be thankful, and share the gospel in the middle of the battle.
• Pray that Hannah would recover well, and have stamina to make it through this treatment and the side effects it brings. Pray for little or no nausea. Pray for good white blood cell counts, and no sickness or infections.
• Pray for future fertility, that God’s will would be done in our family. Praise God for the successful delivery of the 6 eggs to the long-term storage facility!
• Pray that God will continue to provide our financial needs during this season. Pray for continued provision. Pray for wisdom and clarity as we continue to pay medical expenses, and manage finances effectively.
• Pray for Hannah’s work, for God to lead/direct volunteers/subs to keep programs running during this season. Pray for Derek as he fills in/directs the Middle School Choir at church in addition to his school schedule.
• Pray for all the doctors, teams, and caretakers involved in this process.
• Pray that God would bring opportunities for us to share the love and grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ with others through this hard time. 

Worshiping Him still, on my battlefield,

Hannah Rock