(084) Hearing God through Cancer – Kate Nicholas

One of the most challenging times to hear God’s voice is in seasons of suffering and ill-health. Clarity is difficult to find in the midst of pain, fear and doubt. On this episode, we talk to someone who understands this more than most. British author, communicator and friend, Kate Nicholas joins us on the GC podcast to talk about her rollercoaster ride of cancer diagnoses and how she heard God speak in the midst of them. This episode will encourage anyone who is seeking to hear God’s voice in the midst of suffering.

On the show, we talk about:

• Kate’s fascinating faith journey, beginning with her bohemian upbringing and faithful attendance at a Baptist church in childhood. This was followed by a season of rejecting her faith when she was unable to reconcile God’s goodness with her father’s mental illness. Finally, a time of spiritual exploration led her to travel, studying Buddhism in India and experiencing God’s presence in the Australian outback.

• Kate’s first diagnosis with advanced breast cancer in 2014 and the extraordinary journey of healing that followed. The prognosis was devastating – Stage 4 cancer had spread to some of the main organs of her body – but through it all, Kate clung to a promise that God had given her – she would “not die, but live and declare the works of God” (Psalm 118:17). It was during this time that Kate wrote her first book, Sea Changed in order to show her children that God was with her and so that they wouldn’t reject God as she had.

• Kate’s insights on healing – though Kate still doesn’t understand why some experience physical healing and others do not, she explains how God’s healing is bigger than a cure. She tells of one of her early meetings with the oncologist and how she experienced such a deep peace, that the oncologist questioned her understanding: 

“You do understand the implications of what I’m saying to you, don’t you?” “Yes, you’re telling me that I’m dying. But I’m going to leave the door open to God.”

• Kate’s second cancer diagnosis in 2021 – this time in the other breast and far more aggressive than the first. Though initially bewildering for Kate, the cancer became a profound gateway to a greater connection with God.

• Kate’s discovery of the contemplative tradition. During her cancer treatment and the isolation caused by COVID, Kate learned about the contemplative practises used by the Apostle Paul, the early desert fathers, the Celtic Christians and the medieval mystics. These all focus on being close to God in solitude and hearing God in silence. As a self-proclaimed “raving extrovert”, Kate explains how this was a challenge at first!

“I discovered a whole tradition I knew very little about which goes back all the way to the dawn of Christianity. These contemplative practices focus on being close to God and hearing his voice in solitude and silence. This was a challenge for me because I am a raving extrovert!”

• Kate reminds us that Christianity is an Eastern faith at its roots – and that sadly, the Western tradition has lost much of this emphasis. Kate tells of the riches to be found in Christian mindfulness, centering prayer and opening up to our intuition. She encourages us all to “be still and know that he is God.” (Psalm 46:10)

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