Reading Psalm 23 during cancer treatment may be the most powerful spiritual practice you can adopt in this season — and Alex MacDougall's story shows exactly why.

When is the last time a scripture you already knew actually stopped you? Not just ran through your head, but actually landed. Did something. Changed the temperature in the room.

There is a difference between knowing a scripture and having a scripture know you. And Alex MacDougall's story is one of the most beautiful illustrations of that difference I've ever encountered.

THE SEED PLANTED AT EIGHTEEN

Alex was a teenager when he walked into a Billy Graham crusade in Anaheim, California. That night, he gave his life to Jesus. One of the songs sung that evening in 1969 was the hymn "Surely Goodness and Mercy," based on the words of Psalm 23. He said he never forgot it — nor was his life ever the same.

God was planting something in Alex. He just didn't yet know what season it was for.

That's how God works. He plants things in us long before we know we'll need them. Long before the hard thing arrives, He's already preparing the path.

THE VALLEY ARRIVES AT SEVENTY-ONE

Many years later, aged 71, Alex was teaching and enjoying life when he began to experience some difficulty swallowing. By the time he got to a doctor, several months had passed.

Cancer. And the treatment ahead — chemotherapy, radiation, surgery — was brutal.

Following chemotherapy and radiation treatment, he was dehydrated, unable to swallow or stand, and in tremendous pain. He truly felt as if he was passing through the "valley of the shadow of death."

Not metaphorically. Actually. In his body, in his treatment, in every hard day.

And that's when God brought back the seed He had planted fifty-three years earlier.

PSALM 23 DURING CANCER TREATMENT - THE THEME SONG

Alex chose a theme song to encourage and comfort him. Years before, a friend in the final stages of cancer had listened to his own theme song of faith repeatedly before his passing — and said it brought him great peace. As a result, Alex chose Psalm 23, those ancient words set to music by the British composer Howard Goodall.

The same Psalm that had been sung at that Billy Graham crusade. The same words planted in him at eighteen — brought back by the Holy Spirit at exactly the right moment, fifty-three years later.

He cued up the song on his phone and pressed play: "The Lord is my Shepherd / I shall not want / He maketh me to lie down in green pastures / He leads me beside the still waters."

As he listened, he became undone with emotion. Those beautiful words changed everything again. Not for the first time, God brought Alex back to a moment of encounter at eighteen and said — I was there then. I am here now. Same shepherd. Same voice.

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4 NIV

 (Read the full Psalm at BibleGateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23&version=NIV)

PEACE BEFORE THE SURGERY

Alex was still facing a risky surgery and a lengthy recovery. He didn't know if he would survive the operation. But instead of fear, he found something remarkable — hope, inner peace, and confidence that he was in God's hands.

Inner peace — before the outcome was known. Before the surgery. Before the scans. Right there in the uncertainty, the shepherd was present. And the shepherd's presence was enough.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

God held Alex up through a surgery he didn't know he'd survive. He will hold you up too.

THE MIRACLE - AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS

Eleven months after the surgery, Alex could eat and swallow again. His strength, balance, and mental clarity had returned. He required monthly immunotherapy infusions and quarterly scans — but his doctor said he showed no cancer. He described himself simply as a walking miracle, with a faith in God greater than ever.

But here is what I want you to hold onto. The miracle isn't what makes this story worth telling. Even without the physical healing — the faith, the shepherd, the Psalm 23 moment, the peace before the surgery — all of that would still be true.

The real miracle is a man on oxygen, unable to swallow, pressing play on his phone to hear words planted in him fifty-three years earlier — and finding the shepherd still right there. Still leading. Still present. That miracle doesn't depend on scan results.

WHAT ALEX WANTS YOU TO KNOW

What does Alex tell people facing uncertainty in their own cancer journey? His advice is simple and profound:

Make peace with those you might have offended
Focus on what is important and let go of everything that is not
Pray and trust God
Put your future in His hands
Seek the comfort, peace, and presence only He can offer
Take one day at a time — because every single one is a gift

IS THERE A SCRIPTURE WAITING FOR YOU?

Psalm 23 during cancer treatment worked for Alex because God had planted it in him decades before. So I want to ask you something directly — is there a verse, a song, or a passage that has meant something to you at some point in your life? Something that stuck? Something you can still hear in the back of your mind?

That might not be a coincidence. God may have planted it for exactly this season.

And if you don't have an anchor scripture yet, let Psalm 23 be yours today. Read it in the chemo chair. Read it at 3 a.m. Read it when the fear is loud. Let the shepherd who inspired every word of it be present with you in the reading.

"He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul." Psalm 23:2-3 NIV

He refreshes your soul. Right now. In the middle of it. That's not a promise for someday. That's a promise for today.

REFLECTION MOMENT

Alex's story is an invitation to look back and look forward at the same time. Take a moment with these questions:

Is there a scripture, hymn, or passage that God planted in you years ago that you haven't thought about in a while?
What would it mean to make that your theme song in this season of your cancer journey?
If the shepherd was present with Alex in his valley — on oxygen, unable to swallow, facing an uncertain surgery — is there any reason to believe He is not present with you in yours?

A PRAYER FOR WHEN YOU NEED THE SHEPHERD

Lord, You are my shepherd. I don't always feel that. Some days the valley feels too dark and too long, and I lose sight of You in it. But Your Word tells me You are there — rod and staff in hand, walking every step of this road beside me. So I ask You to make Yourself known to me today. Bring back the words You planted in me. Refresh my soul the way only You can. And when the fear gets loud, let me hear Your voice above it — saying, I am here. I am with you. You are never alone.

Amen.

YOU ARE NEVER ALONE

If this post spoke to you, share it with someone who needs a shepherd in their valley today.

And if you've never had a personal relationship with Jesus — the shepherd is looking for you right now. He sees you in your valley. Visit the Accepting Jesus page on this site — it will walk you through a prayer of acceptance.

You are NEVER ALONE on this journey. Jesus is right next to you, whether it's a normal day or one of your worst. All you have to do is ask Him for help — and He is there.

May God bless you today and every day of your journey.