Beni Johnson was one half of the pastoral team at Bethel Church in Redding, California — one of the most influential charismatic churches in the world. Alongside her husband Bill, she had spent decades teaching about the goodness of God, the reality of His presence, and the power of worship. Bethel was synonymous with healing. Their ministry had prayed for thousands of sick people. Their testimony walls were covered with stories of God's intervention.
Then, in 2018, Beni was diagnosed with cancer.
The Shock
She described the moment with a single word: shocked. Despite a lifetime of faith, despite being surrounded by healing culture, despite having prayed for countless others — the diagnosis knocked the wind out of her.
There is an honesty in that word that matters. She did not say she was prepared. She did not say she immediately felt faith rising up. She said she was shocked. Because cancer does not care about your theology. It shows up uninvited and unannounced, and the first thing it does is steal your breath.
The Question
In the aftermath of the shock, Beni did what she had always done: she talked to Jesus. Not with a prepared prayer. Not with Scripture quotations. With the kind of raw, honest question that only comes from someone who has just had their world turned upside down.
"What do I do now?"
The answer she heard was not a medical plan. Not a strategy. Not a list of scriptures to stand on. Two words:
"Just love me."
Beni's response was immediate: "I can do this."
The Peace
From that moment, something shifted. The fear did not disappear — cancer is too real for that. But a peace moved in alongside it that was stronger. Beni described it as a peace that helped her navigate through every decision that had to be made during her cancer journey.
And those decisions were enormous. Treatment options. Medical consultations. Second opinions. The relentless logistics of cancer care. When your brain is scrambled by fear and your body is under assault by disease, making decisions feels impossible. But the peace — the specific, supernatural, "just love me" peace — gave Beni a clarity that fear would have stolen.
Bethel launched a 24/7 prayer campaign. The global community that had been built around their ministry mobilised. Thousands of people around the world began praying for their beloved co-pastor. The community that Beni and Bill had spent decades building became the community that carried them.
The Journey
Beni's cancer journey was not a single dramatic healing. It was a long fight. There were good days and devastating days. There were seasons of hope and seasons of struggle. Through it all, Beni held onto those two words. Just love me. Not "just fight harder." Not "just believe more." Just love me.
That instruction reframed everything. It took the pressure off performance. It removed the guilt of not being healed yet. It simplified the most complex situation of her life into something she could actually do: love Jesus. Everything else would flow from that.
What This Means for You
If you have been diagnosed with cancer and you have asked God the same question — "What do I do now?" — His answer to Beni might be His answer to you.
Just love Him. Not as a strategy. Not as a healing formula. Not as a way to earn a miracle. Just love Him because He is there, and He is real, and He is not going anywhere. The peace that follows is not a feeling you generate. It is a gift that comes from proximity to a God who loves you back.
You do not have to figure everything out today. You do not have to have all the answers or all the faith. You just have to love Him. And from that place, the peace will come. And from that peace, the next step will be clear.
Just love Him. You can do this.
