God Walks With Us Through The Shadow of Death

A normal checkup can change the way you hear every clock tick. Mike and Luisa are back with a quieter, more personal update from the middle of a hard season: a rising PSA, an MRI, and the news that Mike’s cancer is back. After walking through cancer years ago, they’re facing it again, older, more aware of the costs, and still waiting on details about the full diagnosis and treatment plan.

They open up about what the unknown does to your mind and body, how quickly “normal life” turns into appointments and questions, and why even strong Christians can feel the shock. From there, they turn to the steady ground beneath their feet: Scripture. Psalm 23:4 becomes the center of the conversation, not as a slogan, but as a promise for anyone walking through the valley of the shadow of death. They connect it to the gospel hope of John 3:16, the reality check of James 4:14, and the victory of Jesus in Acts 2:24, then lift their eyes to Revelation 21:4 and the coming day when death is no more.

You’ll also hear a challenging practice their pastor urged: have a real conversation with God about your death. Mike shares what it meant to say, with honesty, “Let your will be done,” and Luisa speaks to the strength spouses need when they love someone who is hurting. If you’re searching for Christian encouragement through cancer, faith in suffering, or biblical hope in the face of death, this is a raw and hope filled listen.

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Transcript

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Purpose And Welcome

Mike 0:05

Brothers and sisters, God did not send his son to die on a cross so we could wander aimlessly through life. He had a purpose for us: to do his work, submit to his will, and glorify his name. Join us on this journey. A journey to eternity. So welcome to the show. I'm Luisa. And I'm Mike, and this is episode 61 of the Journey to Eternity Podcast.

Luisa 0:38

In every episode, we help Christians use God's word to navigate everyday life in a sinful, fallen world.

Mike 0:45

Amen.

Arizona Rest And Solitude

Mike 0:46

So, babe, we are in Arizona.

Luisa 0:48

We have been in Arizona for the last two weeks.

Mike 0:52

We've been here pretty much for the last two weeks. Yes. And uh I have to say that it's beautiful here. Yeah. I'm so grateful that God gave us this vacation. And it's been seems like it's been a long time coming.

Luisa 1:05

I know. And people think that we're crazy for coming to Arizona in August, but it's hot. It's just what we like to do.

Mike 1:14

I know. People were looking at us like we were nuts. And uh, what are you going there for?

Luisa 1:19

Because we like the sun. That's why we like the heat.

Mike 1:22

We do.

Luisa 1:23

We like the dry, there's no humidity here.

Mike 1:26

Yes. Yes. It's good for us. And we've gotten some good rest. We've gotten some peace and we've gotten some solitude. And all that was really needed about this time. So uh would you pray us in, please? Absolutely.

Luisa 1:38

Heavenly Father, we come to you and we just thank you, Lord. We thank you for the opportunity, oh Father God, that you have used us for this platform to honor you with our words and our deeds, oh Father God. We just pray, God, that the Holy Spirit will take over. And we thank you, Father God, for your goodness, Lord, because you are always good, God. And we just lift this up to you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Mike 2:01

Amen. So uh if you might notice the tone in our voice, it's not as it's not as energized as it usually is.

Luisa 2:09

Especially for me, right? You know, and I we know that we haven't been here for a while.

Cancer Returns And The Unknown

Luisa 2:14

We haven't done a podcast in a long time because life has happened for us.

Mike 2:18

And life usually does, and that usually is not something that stops us. But the last couple of months have been kind of difficult. Back in May, Louisa and I went and got physicals, you know, like we do every year. And Louisa turned out pretty good. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Mike didn't really turn out pretty good. So um I got a blood test back and showed that my my PSA level was up. So, you know, that's usually a red flag for uh prostate cancer. And my doctor sent me for an MRI, and sure enough, the results did show that my cancer is back. So Luisa and I had cancer eight and seven years ago, respectively. So uh we've been down this road before, we've been through this before, and it's not really uh an easy thing.

Luisa 3:09

No matter if you've been through it before, all the time something new like this happens is hard.

Mike 3:13

Yeah, it's kind of weird because well, I hate to say the first time, but the first time you really don't know. There's like you you don't really know what you're gonna go through, you don't know what to expect. The second time you kind of know. Right. And it it doesn't make it any easier. I don't know if either one makes it easier, whether you know or you don't know. But uh yes, so I've been to the doctors a couple of times. I have some more appointments uh next week when when we get back to New York, and uh I still don't know everything. So I still have a few tests left to do, so I don't know really what the full diagnosis is, and I still don't know what the treatment is gonna be. And I know it won't be the same as it was the last time. I mean, we'll see. We we don't know, but the unknown does have its uh does take its toll.

Luisa 4:04

We don't know, but God knows, babe.

Mike 4:06

God knows everything.

Luisa 4:07

He knows everything.

Mike 4:08

And one of the verses that I really want to focus on this morning is Psalm 23, 4. And it's a very well-known verse. Babe, would you mind reading it, please? Sure.

Luisa 4:20

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Mike 4:30

Amen.

Luisa 4:31

Just reading that comforts me.

Mike 4:33

It is, because it's it's really meant to be a comforting Bible verse. So a couple of weeks before I got my test results, there's a brother in the church, and he's pretty sick. Like he's he's sick, and he's really sick. That's all I'm gonna say. And we were talking about what was going on for him, and he said to me, You never know how strong your faith is until you walk through the valley of the shadow of death. And I know this brother, and he's walking through the valley of the shadow of death. And I don't know if I am yet. I mean, I might be, I don't know. But him speaking this to me at the time, I was like, wow.

Luisa 5:20

And it was profound for you because I remember me getting in the car with you and you mentioned it to me, and it was like, whoo.

Mike 5:26

Yeah, yeah. And he was sick, but it's like he was good. And you know, I I don't never know how people really are on the inside, and I'm not trying to cast any doubt on that, but his faith was really strong, and for as long as I've known him, his faith has been really, really strong. And for him to say that, it had to be strong. And I said, Wow, I really want to have faith like that. I really want to know that if something like this comes up for me in my life, that I'm gonna have that faith. And then sure enough, a couple of weeks later, I got my my test results, and it it really took on a new meaning for me. And I really just God, thank you for my faith. Because on my own, I'd have none. Right, and I think really our strength comes from the Lord, and I have this diagnosis now, and had cancer eight years ago, and the initial diagnosis eight years ago wasn't that bad. This initial diagnosis is worse. So, again, I still don't know what the full extent of it is. But back then I was I was 59. My body was still pretty strong, and I watched some guys go through prostate cancer or any kind of cancer, and you know, the older you get, it's more difficult on the body. So, right now my body is eight years older, it's eight years weaker, and I don't know how like I was able to really withstand the treatment the last time, and I'm praying that I could withstand the treatment this time. I don't know what the treatment is gonna be, so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm not sure how it's gonna go. But life kind of changes when you get a diagnosis like this. And I know we're Christians, and I know that we're we have faith, and we're supposed to feel this and we're supposed to feel that, but it's still a shock to the system.

Luisa 7:24

Yes, because we are in our flesh, yeah. Okay, and to sit here and say that it hasn't shocked us because we are shocked about it, and to think that it's not a serious thing. Oh, it's serious. It's serious, and to understand that we're going through a season.

Mike 7:42

Yeah.

Luisa 7:43

And we don't know what that looks like. And again, God does.

Mike 7:47

He does, he knows everything. Right. It's funny. You talk about how life changes. Everybody has plans, you know.

Luisa 7:53

We we all make plans and plans mean nothing, babe. I'm I'm serious. Like everybody's always making plans and plans, and then when something like this hits your life, you say to yourself, Oh.

Mike 8:06

Well, it's funny because we we made plans for this vacation, and we're sitting there in the spring when when we booked everything and we're saying, Oh, it's gonna be so nice. Let's go on a vacation where one of us isn't sick, where one of us isn't like something have something going on. Because it kind of seems like every time we plan a vacation, like one of us is sick.

Luisa 8:25

And it's usually me.

Mike 8:26

Well, yeah, it's usually me, baby.

Luisa 8:29

You know that. And we we talked about that in May. We talked about when we go on this vacation. I hope we're both healthy and we're able to really enjoy the vacation and not run to an urgent care. Right. Or to an emergency room while we're on vacation, which is never good. Yeah, but we've done it. Here we are right now.

Mike 8:49

Here we are, back in that again. And you know, uh it there's a a verse on the on the wall in our house and many other plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's will that prevails. And I'm paraphrasing that, but it's that's kind of the wording of it. In other words, we make our plans, but God already has our plans set, and He didn't give us a vacation where one of us wasn't sick. Right. So I I mean, so many thoughts go through your head. Prostate cancer, it killed my father, like he died from prostate cancer. So those thoughts always go through my head, and there's always the treatment factor. Sometimes the the treatment isn't the worst thing, it's really the side effects. And there's a lot of side effects that come with any type of cancer, especially the after the treatment. And I remember the last time the side effects were it was a good year, maybe a year and a half of of side effects. So the treatment was easy, okay? The treatment was was really nothing, but uh everything else that comes with it is tough. And you know, I don't know what to expect this time because I don't even know what the treatment's gonna be. So we're gonna find out in the next two weeks. Is it gonna work? Uh I hope

Fear Of Death And Gospel Hope

Mike 10:04

so. Um am I gonna die from it? Well, yeah, the thought has crossed my mind. And you know, it's it's really weird when when death enters the room, especially for a Christian. And I understand if you're not a believer and you don't know the promises of God, that there's a real fear of death. And if you if you're an unbeliever, I I'm I spent a lot of years having the fear of death and as an unbeliever. As an unbeliever. And you know, when you become a Christian, you understand the gospel, you understand that Jesus Christ died on the cross and was raised again so that we could have eternal life. And that really changes things. And I'm not afraid to die. Just like the brother that I talked to um in church, he was not afraid to die. Like I I think in a way he was almost looking forward to it. And the Apostle Paul actually looked forward to death too. So there's a lot of examples out there of how to how to handle the fear of death. James chapter four, verse fourteen says, Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. For what is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

Luisa 11:23

This is the gift of God's word. It is. Okay.

Mike 11:26

It really is.

Luisa 11:27

It's it's it's understanding his promises, believing in his promises, and you sit back, especially in a season that we're in right now, and you remember what God's word says, and all of a sudden these scriptures come up for you. Okay, I know for me, when I had cancer, I lived on scripture, you know that. And now that you're going through this, that's all that I can think of that keep that keeps me sane right now. Okay, and that's just the honest truth as your wife. I I am just so grateful that I have the Lord in my life and that he sustains me, he sustains you. And that's that's where my hope is. Okay. I don't I don't know what's before us. I don't know what the treatments are gonna be, I don't know the after effects. I just know that my husband is sick and I love my husband, and I'm gonna pray that the Lord continues to give me the strength and the endurance and the perseverance that I need right now. And God knows that, that I need that. You know, so I'm just so grateful that we do have the Lord in our lives, babe. I am.

Mike 12:37

So for all the sisters out there that that know and love my wife, she needs a prayer too. Okay, so um yeah, I I appreciate everybody that prays for us, and my wife needs prayer too, as as we go through this. And life is fleeting. Yeah so we are only here for a while, and then God brings us home. So it's funny. I go back to what the thoughts are that that go through my head. There's there's a plaque on the wall near the staircase in our church, and it's all the saints who have passed on to glory. So when you go, they put a plaque with your name on it, and the years that you were here, and you know, some people got a few years, some people got a lot of years, and I I think about that. And I mean there was a a really, really dear brother who who passed on just maybe a month ago, and we had the memorial, and I was looking at that wall with the plaques on it, and uh there was one missing because I know they were sending it out to get engraved with his name on it. And I think about that, and I said to myself, wow, how like where am I on this list? You know, uh am I next? Uh am I like 10 people down, you know, like where where am I? So these are the strange thoughts that that kind of go through your mind. But I thought about him, and he's infinitely better off than he was the day before he passed on. I mean, he was, you know, he was really struggling. He was old and he was sick and he was, you know, not doing well. And now he's in he's in glory, and it's just it's gotta be beautiful for him. But, you know, he left behind a wife. And I think about some of these things, uh, you know, like, you know, what's gonna happen to my wife?

Luisa 14:26

The Lord is gonna take care of me, babe. That's what's gonna happen to your wife. Praise God.

Mike 14:32

I mean, I think about my kids, I think about my grandchildren. Like, what's gonna happen to them? It's it's like if we're not careful, the fear of death can easily set in, even for Christians. But the Bible really says that we should have no fear of death. I mean, the most well-known promise in the Bible is is John 3 16. Would you read that, please, babe?

Luisa 14:56

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Amen.

Mike 15:05

I mean, I mean, that says it right there. Everybody kind of takes that verse for granted. Like, you know, they they they there's funny guys at football games with with with different colored hair, and they hold up a sign that says John 3 16.

Luisa 15:20

Oh, it's on a t-shirt or that.

Mike 15:23

But it's really just like the most amazing promise that you could ever think of.

Luisa 15:29

And you just said it, babe, a promise. This is a promise. It's a promise.

Mike 15:33

It it's whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. So though we may die in the body, we know that one day we're gonna be in glory with him, and and it's it's just gonna be perfect. So death is really like a subject that a lot of people shy away from, but the Bible doesn't. Right. So this past Sunday, our pastor, he he talked about death, and it wasn't really what the whole passage was about, but there was a section on it there, and we're in the book of Acts, and we were studying chapter two, and in verse 24, Peter proclaims, says, God raised him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by death. Amen. And he's talking about Jesus Christ. It's a beautiful thing. It's it's like he beat death. God sent his son to the cross and he died for us. And because death could not hold him, it can't hold us either. And that's the beauty of it. It's such wonderful. It's written in stone as much as anything. Like the Ten Commandments were written in stone, and the fact that death cannot hold us because we're believers in Christ, that's written in stone. That is like death, where is this thing? It's there is none.

A Conversation With God About Death

Mike 17:00

Right. So as I was listening to the sermon, he encouraged us to have a conversation with God about our death. And I don't know if anybody is out there has ever done that. I had never done that before, but it's funny when I got my results, I did that.

Luisa 17:16

I think that we we think about it, but we don't have that conversation. Yes.

Mike 17:20

So I remember when I got my results, I was driving to work one morning, and I'm just like, God. And I actually had a conversation about death with him. So I had to acknowledge the possibility that I could die from this. And I'm only 67, so I think about that, and we all know that we're gonna die one day, and 67 is a little sooner than I'd like to, but that might not be God's plan. And and again, I don't know. And I'm I don't want this to be a real morbid podcast. I'm just talking what our feelings are and what's going on for us. And the possibility is there. So it's definitely would be sooner than I'd like, but if that's what God has for me, that's it. And you know, I remember that morning just telling him, Lord, whatever you have for me, if that's what you have for me, Lord, then I'm ready. And let your will be done. And really, it's about God's will. I mean, that's that's really just where I'm at. Whatever he has for me moving forward, let his will be done. And I know that he's gonna take care of whatever I leave behind. You know, I know that he has my wife in the palm of his hand, and I know that he is the one that's gonna sustain her. He is the one that's gonna sustain me. Even through all of this, you know, I I've talked to him about all these things that I wanted to do for the kingdom. I've been working, Luis and I both have been working on trying to be biblical counselors. And I've really wanted to finish this because I've never accomplished anything like this in my life. You know, I I never graduated from college. I I don't I don't have a degree in anything. And I really looked at this as something that I wanted to do. And I might not get it. So I might get it, but I might not. We don't know. So I have to really wrestle with this now. And I remember talking to Pastor Doug, I said, just just keep me busy. Just keep me busy for the kingdom. I I don't want to sit around and and I know that this is gonna be a season of treatment. I know it's gonna be a lot personally that I have to deal with, but I said, keep me busy. Don't take away the work that I have because anybody feels bad for me or anything. I I just want to work. I just want to work for God. I just want to to do his work. I want to take care of his flock. I want I want to serve. And whatever he has for me left, whatever he has, I wanted to be for God's glory. Uh I just want to glorify him in as a testimony. I want both Luis and I to be a testimony for uh anybody that's watching us on how to have faith and how to live in a situation like this when you're going through something like this. And we have really good examples in our church. I know that there's a lot of people in our church with stuff going on. They're sick, they suffer, they have it's not always illness. Sometimes there's other things that go on in our life that are really beating us down.

Luisa 20:16

And that just teaches us to cling to Christ. Yes, okay. Because that's the gift, babe. We have to always remember no matter what life throws at us, okay. This is God's will for us. God is in the mix of everything. And I just my prayer to him is always, um, I'm the branch and you are the vine. That's where my help comes from, you know.

Mike 20:36

And we heard that the other day.

Luisa 20:39

Yeah, and and you know I pray that all the time. And I understand that without Christ, without Christ, in these storms and in these trials, we'll be.

Mike 20:50

Yep.

Luisa 20:50

You know, so I would encourage every believer, every Christian that's listening to this podcast, no matter what you're going through, okay, it's your stuff. And it could be small, it could look like it's not big, it could whatever it is that you're going through or you're going struggling with, always remember to cling to Christ. Keep your eyes focused on Jesus. Amen. No matter what it is, how much it hurts, how much you don't want it. What gives me so much peace in my soul is that I know that even for you, you're going through this. Whatever you go through, I go through. But I just know that we're not going through it alone. Right. Okay, God is in the mix, God is with us, God is walking through it with us, and we have to believe that in order for us to get to wherever God wants us to be. Mm-hmm. But clinging to him in the good times and in the bad times, you can't cling to him only in the bad times. Right. Okay, and all of a sudden life happens and you're like, Oh, let me go to Christ. You let go. Right. That's the big mistake. Letting go, or all of a sudden, just you know. Like saying, I need him now. I need him when the times are good.

Mike 22:04

Yeah. No, we sure don't.

Luisa 22:08

So staying on overflow of Jesus Christ is the key in walking this walk with Christ.

Mike 22:15

Right. So even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, what do we as believers have to look forward to? So Revelation 21 and verse 4 makes it very clear. It says, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And that's just when you when you think about it, that's why why my brother there was looking forward to to being in glory. That's why the Apostle Paul looked forward to being in glory because he knew it awaited him. And it's just that's what got to keep us going, to know that while we are here on earth for a short while, that we have eternity with Christ.

Luisa 23:05

And God's word is clear. This is not our home. Nope. We are journeyers going through walking to eternity. Amen.

Mike 23:13

So I'm gonna end this with a short explanation of Psalm 23, 4. Can you read it again for me, please, sweetheart?

Luisa 23:20

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Mike 23:32

Amen.

Psalm 23:4 Explained With Clarity

Mike 23:33

So if you look, it says we walk through the valley. And the word through means that it's temporary. So yes, we're walking through it, but we're gonna pass through it. Right. And shadow means it's not real. So a shadow can't harm you. Remember how like you're walking and you might see a shadow that and all of a sudden it it jumps out and scares you, but the shadow can't hurt you. Shadow can't harm you. Right. So God is with us in this process when we're thinking about the end of our life. That's why there's no need to have any fear. His rod, it protects us, and his staff, it comforts us. The core meaning of Psalm 23:4 is that we do not need to fear the dark, difficult, or dangerous seasons of life because God is personally present to protect us and guide us.

Luisa 24:29

Let's pray.

Mike 24:30

Lord Jesus, we thank you for walking with us through this very hard season in every dark valley in our lives. When fear and anxiety try to take over our hearts, help us to remember that you are right here by our side. We choose not to be afraid because your presence is greater than any storm that we face. Lord, use your rod of protection to defend us from harm and your staff of guidance to lead us safely forward. Thank you for comforting our souls and giving us deep lasting peace. In your precious name we pray. Amen.

Prayer, Contact, And Share

Mike 25:11

So that wraps up episode 61.

Luisa 25:14

We thank you for listening. We invite you to leave a comment or a question by going to our website at jtepodcast.org.

Mike 25:24

That's jtepodcast.org.

Luisa 25:27

Click on the contact us page and we will respond within 24 hours. If you don't personally know us, introduce yourselves. We would love to get to know you from across the states and around the world.

Mike 25:40

And while you're there, you can subscribe to the podcast and receive an email the minute a new episode is published. You can also find all of our previous episodes, and we invite you to find one that resonates with you. In addition, the Journey to Eternity Podcast can be accessed on any of the major podcast platforms, such as Apple and Spotify, along with many other outlets across the web.

Luisa 26:03

And as always, please support us by sharing this podcast with a friend or on your social media page.

Mike 26:09

So till next time, we wish you God's blessing as you navigate everyday life in a sinful fallen world.

Luisa 26:15

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.