Chronic Illness Pain Devotionals

Safe.... In God's Arms

“For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”  (Psalm 27:5 NIV)

I recently watched the animated movie “Open Season”. The plot centers around a forest ranger who rescues and raises a young bear cub. After reaching adult size, it becomes necessary for him to return to the wild.  Unfortunately, that time is a few days before hunting season begins. She loves him very much; her primary concern is his safety. Taking him by helicopter to a safe place high in the mountains, she gently places him next to a large rock.

As I watched the movie, I was amazed at what a beautiful allegory this was for how God takes care of us!

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle was built as a place where God and man could meet; it was God’s dwelling place on earth.

God has promised to keep us safe in “His dwelling”! There is not a safer place to be in all the universe! The Psalmist was promised that God “will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” That promise is for us too; we are safe in the shelter of God. Since New Testament times, our shelter is His indwelling Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ and God the Father.

Our day of trouble can be many things, including being ill and in pain. Our bodies may not be well, however, God puts you and me in a high place where who we really are --- our core selves, our God-breathed being --- cannot be harmed.

The imagery is strong; by setting us high on a rock, nothing can harm us. We need to ask Him to put us there, to keep us safe. We are “hidden” by God Himself! We will be able to deal with all that is in our lives because we asked Him for help and because He always keeps His promises.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for your promises. I pray we will turn to You and ask to be hidden in the shelter of Your tabernacle, for there we will find safety. AMEN.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priscilla Ervin lives in Arlington, Texas with fibromyalgia and chronic Epstein Barr, along with other health issues.  She can see where God has sheltered her when she looks back at her life, and knows He keeps His promises!

Help For The Broken-Hearted

“…He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion ---to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”  (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV)

Some of these words sure do jump out at me as I deal with chronic pain and illness! Broken-hearted, captives, prisoners, all who mourn, those who grieve, a spirit of despair.

I have felt, and some of you probably have as well, broken-hearted at times about having an illness that will never get better. The illness and pain do make me feel like I’m a captive, a prisoner, with choices taken away and limitations put on my body. I do mourn my old life, all that I did, all that I was, all the dreams and plans I had. I grieve over it, and I certainly have sometimes had a spirit of despair.

But other words in the above verses jump out at me as well. Bind up the broken-hearted, proclaim freedom, release, the Lord’s favor, comfort, a crown of beauty, oil of gladness, a garment of praise.

How uplifting it is to think on these things.  Wow! God is going to give me a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and He will give me a garment of praise in place of the despair I sometimes feel.

People in Bible times demonstrated their grief and mourning by rending their clothing and covering themselves with ashes. God sent Isaiah to be a help; He has sent Jesus to help us for all time. With Jesus we have the freedom to accept God’s favor, to receive His comfort. He will give us a crown of beauty in place of the ashes of our pain and illness; knowing He will give us the oil of gladness, we don’t have to mourn, and we are able to praise Him instead of letting despair take over our spirit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Priscilla Ervin lives in Arlington, TX with chronic Epstein Barr, Fibromyalgia and other illnesses. She enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and needlework.