When the Ground Shakes
Surviving Cancer and Hurricanes with Micah Tyler
Facing his brother Daniel’s cancer battle and the wreckage left by Hurricane Harvey, Micah Tyler shares with Family Life Radio that he found a deeper trust in God and a keen sense of gratitude. “Yeah, it is a hard lesson I’ve had to learn, but I trust God more because of the hard things I’ve gone through. Not the easy things.”
Micah vividly recalls, “In 2017, Hurricane Harvey put 40 inches of rain on my house in a few days. We lost two floors, walls and four rooms were later replaced.” Amidst the physical rebuilding, the news of Daniel’s first cancer diagnosis arrived six weeks later, a blow that would test their faith further.
Miracles Along the Path
“They gave him two years to live.” Micah continues, “At most, if they do everything right, maybe he can get two years. He had a wife and a little boy at the time, and they said, ‘You’ll never have children because this chemo is going to just completely obliterate your body. We hope you keep your fingers and toes … but we’re just going to try to lengthen your life.’”
Despite the dire predictions and the harsh realities of cancer treatments, the family witnessed miracles. “I would love for that to just be the end of the story, but the cancer came back in 2020 and they removed it; and the cancer came back in 2022. And we’re working through it again. But in the meantime, he and his wife welcomed their little baby girl … she shouldn’t be here,” Micah exclaims. “But God, rich in mercy. But God faithful. But God, He doesn’t just go by the rules that medical books may say.”
Through it all, Micah’s brother became God’s story of faith in action. “I’ve watched that guy go get a chemo pack, put it on his hip, and then preach to his students in his youth group. The same night, with chemo running through his veins, he’s proclaiming the Word of God because the Word of God is good,” Micah shares with admiration.
Learning Gratitude in Hardship
The trials brought unexpected gifts – lessons in gratitude for the seemingly small, yet profound blessings of life. “The first six months we were in that house, you could find either one of us in a room weeping because of the gratitude,” Micah reflects on the overwhelming thankfulness for their home after Hurricane Harvey. His gratitude extends beyond material blessings, as Micah poignantly notes, “Thank God for the breath in my lungs right now. But whenever you lose your breath and you get it back, you’re very grateful for it.”
God’s timing and plans, though mysterious, are always for our good.
“It’s not Him being mean. Maybe it’s Him building some anticipation in our chest where it actually happens. We’re so much more grateful,” he considers, encouraging a perspective of trust and anticipation for God’s blessings.
As Micah and his family continue to navigate the uncertainties of health, life, and the aftermath of natural disasters, their story inspires you to have faith and hope as you face your own unseen battles. “And even though we can’t see it, even though when the clouds cover up the stars, it doesn’t mean they’re not shining up there. It just means we can’t see him right now,” Micah offers. Even in our darkest hours, the light of God’s presence and promises never fades.
Today, may Micah’s story inspire you to find gratitude in every moment, to trust God through every storm, and to recognize the unseen blessings that are woven throughout your life.
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