The tallit is a Jewish prayer shawl we place over our head and wrap ourselves in when we pray. Larry and I do this during biblical feasts and holidays, and when there is a special prayer need, like my cancer treatments.
The tallit is our private prayer closet we can go in to close out the voices, chaos, circumstances, and chatter of the world around us. We come before God with our needs and receive His supernatural help and miracles. This is exactly what I was doing—on my toughest day so far.
Peace in the Midst of the Storm
I knew I could not just lie in bed and allow myself to be overwhelmed by negative emotions. God knows me, and He saw my deliberate act of faith. As I knelt before Him, I could barely whisper. I felt as I prayed that He was holding me like a parent would their sick or hurting child. No words were necessary to convey His love, comfort, and help in my time of trouble. The peace of God filled my heart, mind, and body. He gave me peace in the midst of my storm.
I could hear His voice in my spirit saying, “Be still, and know that I am God.” I heard that scripture, from Psalms 46:10 deep down inside me. My focus shifted from my fears to letting go and knowing God would take care of me. I remember what transpired in those moments of peace. In the silence of my room, the presence of God was with me. Then, still on my knees and under my tallit, I took several deep breaths, held them as long as I could, and exhaled. In my heart, I was symbolically breathing in the breath of God. It felt, though, like I was actually breathing in the healing breath and life of God! In that moment I realized I felt completely different than I had before I knelt down to pray. The heavy burden had lifted off me. I felt tangibly relieved, lighthearted, soul cleansed, strong, uplifted, and changed.
Instead of a chemotherapy infusion, I felt an infusion of God’s peace, hope, faith, strength, confidence, victory, and genuine joy. I got up and felt a need to write down these thoughts on a notepad I kept next to my bed. Then I wrote declarations of faith. Suddenly God’s promises bubbled up from within my soul until I was writing promises as fast as they raced through my mind.
Just moments before I was engulfed in raw, emotional despair. God lifted that heaviness and replaced it with His promises and His very real Spirit of hope. We were exchanging my needs for His miracles! It flowed so fast through my mind that my pen could hardly keep up. As I was having my meltdown, He was bringing me my breakthrough! Isaiah 61:3 came alive to me. “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
His Promises Sustained Me
I knew I still had to walk it all out in the days ahead. But I genuinely had a life-altering, supernatural shift within me, one that I knew would equip me to face all that was ahead of me. God had definitely added His super to my natural! He met me at my point of need and supernaturally equipped me from the inside out to rise above this. Now, in my hour of need, I declared them to myself. Now He caused His Word to rise up out of my heart and the pen to counter-attack the realities of cancer.
I’m going to share just a few of these declarations with you now, at the end of this chapter. As you read these promises, I hope you will pause to listen to God. Be still and know your God. If God leads you, pick up your pen and jot down a few of your own declarations of His promises to you.
I Declared Before God
I will be positive on purpose.
I will fill my heart with His presence and His promises, and His peace will come.
What we dwell on, we become.
What we focus on, we see.
What we allow in our mind will stay in until we kick it out and subdue its power and control.
Our attitude becomes us.
Our faith becomes us.
My smile becomes me.
Choose to rejoice.
As I made these declarations, I knew that God was in control and that He would see me
through it all. And He did. What He did for me, He will do for you.
