If you are waiting for scan results right now, then I want you to know I made this episode with you in mind…and you do not have to sit in that waiting room alone. In fact, the stretch between a scan and its results is one of the hardest parts of the whole cancer journey, and I have walked through it myself.
In this Finding Peace episode, I talk honestly about "scanxiety" — that awful waiting when your mind will not stop running. Moreover, I share two real people who found genuine peace in that exact place, and I point you to one passage of Scripture that has steadied more waiting hearts than we could ever count.
THE WAITING IS REAL - AND SO IS THE PEACE
When you are waiting for scan results, you would think that finishing the scan is the hard part. However, that is often when the fear gets the loudest. Maybe you refresh the portal, or read into every little ache, and meanwhile sleep just will not come. So let me say this plainly, friend: it does not make you weak, and it does not make you faithless. Instead, it simply makes you human — and even the strongest believers feel it, myself included.
PERCY - A FAITH THAT HELD WHEN IT WAS HIS TURN
I read about a man named Percy McCray, who spent more than twenty years as a minister walking other people through cancer. Then he heard the word himself — stage 1 colorectal cancer. And here is what struck me: even Percy felt the scanxiety. In fact, he lost sleep and grew anxious. Nevertheless, his faith held him. Because he leaned on prayer and on his kids praying over him, he later said, "I felt like I derived a lot of strength from the prayers given to me." So remember this: faith in the waiting room is not the absence of fear; instead, it is Who you hold onto while you wait.
KARA - THE HARDEST PLACE
I also read about a young mom named Kara Tippetts , who was diagnosed with breast cancer at thirty-six. She wrote honestly about it in a book called The Hardest Peace, and she summed up her whole approach in one line: “The story is cancer growing, and Jason and I just looking for Jesus in the midst of it.” Sadly, Kara has since gone home to be with the Lord. Yet the peace she carried while she waited was real, and it was never anchored in a test result — rather, it was anchored in Jesus. Therefore, that same peace is offered to you today.
WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS ABOUT WAITING FOR SCAN RESULTS
King David knew the waiting room. In Psalm 27:14 he wrote:
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 NIV
Now, that word "wait" means to lean forward with hope, expecting God to show up. Therefore, waiting for scan results does not have to be waiting in dread. In other words, waiting on the Lord is different from waiting on the scan: the scan can only speak about your body, but Jesus speaks to your soul — and He is with you whether the news is good or hard.
ONE THING YOU CAN DO TONIGHT
So here is one simple thing to try tonight. First, tell Jesus the truth out loud: "I'm scared, and I'm giving You this wait." Next, put Psalm 27:14 on your phone's lock screen, so it meets you every time you reach to check the portal. Finally, ask one person to pray for you while you wait, just as Percy did. Ultimately, these small steps turn the waiting room into a place where you meet God instead of dread.
YOU ARE NEVER ALONE
No matter what you are facing on your journey with cancer or in life, remember: you are NEVER ALONE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always with you and ready to help. All you have to do is ask, give it all to Jesus, and let Him go to work. May God bless you — and thank you for listening.