Chronic Illness Pain Devotionals

Are You Having a "Faith Drought?"

"The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:11 NIV)

This passage is from my "Promises and Blessings" Calendar. I can't tell you how often passages for certain days just jump out and grab me and relate to what is going on in my life for that day. It isn't coincidence - it is divine intervention.

I thought today that we all need to be watered; watered by Scripture, watered by the faith of others and even watered by the everyday trials and tribulations we experience.

I was relating in particular to the "sun-scorched land" example. After radiation therapy I often feel sun scorched and a deep-bone weary tiredness takes over. I liken it to when we are outside in the summer time and don't keep well hydrated and our bodies revolt by over-heating. So it is with God. We need to keep ourselves well hydrated with The Word otherwise we risk a dehydration of our faith.

We all need to remember that there is an everlasting and eternal spring of water that we can drink from and it will keep us hydrated in our faith. It can sustain us during times of "faith drought," those times when we think God isn't there right beside us through it all. We all have those times, those doubts, those wonderings and the only way to make it through those times is by drinking long and deep from the "spring whose waters never fail." He is there and He won’t let us die of dehydration if we reach out and satisfy our needs with Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, guide us to the eternal spring of water that never dries up or disappears. Let us drink deeply and be renewed by the "spring whose waters never fail." Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Denny Dowd lives in Pennsylvania with her two cats, Liam and Shamrock. Denny is a social worker and she enjoys writing, reading, and volunteering. Denny is the world's biggest Notre Dame football fan. Denny lives with Chronic Inflammatory Demylineating Polyneuropathy and cancer and has strong faith that God will see her through even the most difficult of days.

The Spirit of Power, Love And Self-Discipline

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a
spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
(2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)

This is my favorite verse. I remember well the day it
became reality for me.  God used a dear friend to
unmistakably penetrate my heart so that I knew with my
whole being what He meant.  When I felt timid, powerless,
unloving or at loose ends, I wasn’t giving Jesus the
victory! The proverbial light bulb went off: God Himself
gave me personally, because I am His child, these
attributes!  My heart bubbled over with joy and relief.

There are many applications to this verse, one for those
of us living with chronic illness. For example, when I
wake up for the day, it can often take me over an hour
to get out of bed. I spend up to 15 minutes gently
stretching, then use the heating pad on different parts
of my body to minimize the pain of moving.

Some days I would rather lie in bed and forget getting up.
I don’t mean the days I must stay in bed for physical
reasons. It’s my attitude. After all, I have a nice TV,
books and a bottle of water at my bedside! But when I
apply the above verse, I am not afraid to get out of bed
(no spirit of timidity). I can get to the kitchen to make
tea (spirit of power to get me there). Pretty soon I am
smiling (spirit of love) and glad I didn’t stay in bed. If
I do this every day, then I have a spirit of self-discipline.

I do not believe God is happy that we are ill and in pain. 
But He has provided ways for us to cope through His Word. 
2 Timothy 1:7 is one. I feel more empowered to cope and get
through the day when I think about this verse.

Father, thank You for giving us a spirit of power, love and
self-discipline. Thank You also for helping us to cope with
our difficulties, for it is through Your power that each of us
gets through each day. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Priscilla Ervin lives in Arlington, Texas with her husband of
30 years. She lives with Fibromyalgia and Epstein Barr.

God Is Eternal

"Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens," (Psalm 119:89 NIV)

My God is my God. I don’t ever have to worry about whether or not I can trust this part of the bible or that part. I never have to worry about picking apart the pieces of His word that don’t apply. They all apply. Our Lord and his word are truly eternal. They always were, they are and they always will be. He is the beginning and the end; the Alpha and the Omega. On these principals, I can build my life. He is my rock and I never have to spend a moment worrying if He will be there for me.

These thoughts are very important to me, especially when I don’t feel well. Knowing that God is what He is and who He is, knowing that he stands firm in heaven eases me. I know He has a plan for me and that He will stand by that plan. My God doesn’t change his mind like so many of us do. He knows all, outside of time, so His decisions are perfect. He needs something from me and the only way to get it is if I am not well. I trust my God to do what is right, even to death. There is a plan and a purpose much larger that I’ll ever be able to see. I have to trust that He is God and I am part of His plan.

Heavenly Father, I love the fact that your word is firm and you are eternal. Teach me to ground myself in your ways so that I may strive to be firm in my faith.

Marisa Gary

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marisa Gary lives in Ormond Beach, FL with her husband Robert, three children and Annie the Dog. Marisa is a vocalist on the Worship Team and also runs media for Tomoka Christian Church. Marisa was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 2004 at the age of 32 after spending 20 years with symptoms.

Daily Praise

“… Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name …”  Matthew 6:9 (NIV).

*”Praise, honor, and glory be to Your name!”

Prayers of thanksgiving, praise, and joy are hard to come by when in the midst of the battles of life like illness, divorce, death, and financial survival! Praise may filter in only on an occasional basis through the pleas for strength, deliverance, protection, and survival. Praise seems to be reserved for periods of celebration.

The Lord has led me through the Psalms to show me how the Psalmist would claim the blessings of God in praise, descend into his valley of battle, and then mount up on the wings of the Lord’s glory. The Psalmist embraced the dark side and light side of life to find wholeness.

To truly embrace the Easter experience, you need to give thanks and praise for noon on Friday, as well as, the sunrise of Easter morning! In the chaos of the hungry five thousand, Jesus lifted what little was available to heaven, gave thanks, praise, and created a miracle!

When you shut down part of yourself, you shut down other parts, too. Without the rain, you’d have hard baked soil. To see the rainbows you need to face the storm with the Son behind you. You need to embrace all of life, giving thanks and praise to the Lord in it all.

This is another breath prayer I fought and still fight with all my might. The Lord has taught me to begin every prayer that I pray with “Father God, I give You thanks and praise for my life and everything in it!” At night, I list everything in my prayer journal that has occurred that day and give thanks and praise. The Lord inhabits my praise and

thanksgiving and makes me over.

*Breath Prayer- Take a scriptural promise, turn it into a seven syllable affirmation give or take a few, in present tense and second person, and say it on the perfect breath (in to a count of 3 out to a count of 6) as you breathe out.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

> Kathleen Lewis, RN, MS, CMP, LPC

Me....Beautiful?

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together
in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are
wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)

As a youth leader/minister at my church, I often find
myself giving “suggestions” to the teens.  Lately, as
part of our preparations for a mission trip, we’ve
been discussing how we can encourage each other and how
we can use our talents/skills to serve God.

I have to admit –I think I get more out of our weekly
meetings than the children do. Usually the “words of
wisdom” I impart are the things I really need to hear
(fancy that). This past week I was chatting with a girl
who said she didn’t have any talents or skills and
wasn’t sure how she was going to help on our trip.  I
encouraged her to focus on where God has gifted her,
not on the things she can’t do.  I also mentioned that
we are each distinctly beautiful, uniquely gifted and
in His image. 

Unfortunately, I don’t always heed my own advice.  As
of late, my life appears to be progressively lethargic:
I am not able to lose weight, my house is unorganized
and disheveled; my wardrobe is outdated, etc,.  I just
wasn’t feeling very beautiful or talented. 

When I was chatting with this girl, God clearly spoke
to me too.  In essence – God was reminding me that I am
just as valuable to God as this youth was!  God loves
me for who I am – the good and the bad.  God did indeed
form me in my mother’s womb – and I am a beautiful and
talented person.  God isn’t in the business of making
“junk”.

I’m going to put the Psalm 139 passage by my bed so I
see it every day.  Why not make Psalm 139 your daily
wake-up passage?  You can’t go wrong starting out your
day with that passage! In this case, self talk really
does work… I am beautiful. I am beautiful. I am beautiful……..

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Bridget Gazlay resides in the beautiful west Michigan.  Her
free time includes crafting and working with her first book,
Fabric Cards.  She also writes for Comfort Café, sings on a
worship team, and mentors youth. To learn more about Bridget
and to see her cute little nephew, go to:
http://webpages.charter.net/bgazlay or send her an email:
quiltforhim@yahoo.com.

Let Christ's Love Rule In You

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load,"  (Galatians 6: 2-5 NIV)

Did you know that Jesus lives in cancer clinics? He walks sterile corridors with a bald head and puffy face, with scars from surgery and IV lines hanging from His arms. Sometimes He sits in waiting rooms and keeps watch at bedsides.

I have learned anew the truth that Teresa of Avila wrote more than four hundred years ago: "Christ has no body now on earth but yours; yours are the only hands through which He can do His work, yours are the only feet through which He can go about the world, yours are the only eyes through which His compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours."

Heart to heart and hand to hand, I believe that's how God intends for us to relate to one another. If we do this, three things will happen: First, there will be someone who extends Christ's love to us. Second, there will be someone who needs to know Christ's love through us. And third, there will always be someone watching and learning about the way Christ's love can change the world.

No matter where we are there will always be something specific we can do to embody Christ's love to another person. If we follow Christ, then we also follow his call to be his hands and feet and heart to those around us. By this means the Lord takes our simple loaves and fishes of caring and kindness and multiplies them in the world - a miracle that's easy to miss in the course of our daily lives.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Denny Dowd lives in Pennsylvania with her two cats, Liam and Shamrock. Denny is a social worker and she enjoys writing, reading, and volunteering. Denny is the world's biggest Notre Dame football fan. Denny lives with Chronic Inflammatory Demylineating Polyneuropathy and cancer and has strong faith that God will see her through even the most difficult of days.

Chat Room Ministries This Week

SCHEDULED CHAT ROOM MINISTRIES THIS COMING WEEK

Please take advantage of these times of fellowship, encouragement and support.

SCHEDULE CHANGE:  Please note that the Friday 5 pm Pacific/7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern CARE chat time is ended.  Thank you to Debbie who has been faithfully hosting this chat time and what a blessing it has been to all who participated.

C.A.R.E. CONNECTION CHATS: (all in Daylight Savings Time)

Mondays 10:00 am Pacific/12:00 pm Central/1:00 pm Eastern

-  Chat Host is Mary

Mondays 5 pm Pacific/7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern

-  Chat Host is Liz

Tuesdays 5 pm Pacific/7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern

-  Chat Host is Donna

Wednesdays 5 pm Pacific/7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern 

-  Chat Host is Carol

Thursdays 1 pm Pacific/3 pm Central/4 pm Eastern

-  Chat Host is Deborah

Fridays 1:00 pm Pacific/3:00 pm Central/4:00 pm Eastern

-  Chat Host is Kathy

What is C.A.R.E. Connection?  C.A.R.E. stands for Comfort, Accept, Refresh, Encourage.  We want you to be able to connect with others who are going through similar problems or situations.  There will be a volunteer “Chat Host” at each of these times so you can be sure that someone will be there to make you feel welcome and lead the chat time in an hour of encouragement in God’s Word and fellowship and prayer together.

Other scheduled chat ministries:

Fellowship hour – Tuesdays at 1 pm Pacific/3 pm Central/4 pm Eastern

Hopekeepers Bible Study – Thursdays at 5 pm Pacific/7 pm Central/8 pm Eastern

TO GET TO THE CHAT ROOM:  Go to www.restministries.org/pro-chat.htm and type in your name in the box and click on “Connect”.  (It may take a few minutes to load the chat room window.) 

C.A.R.E. CHAT ROOM:  A special chat room has been created just for the CARE chats to meet together in if the CARE Host chooses to do so.  So when you want to join one of the scheduled C.A.R.E. Connection chat times, you just sign into the Rest Ministries chat room as usual, which takes you to the main room called the Lobby.  Check there to see if the CARE chat is taking place in the Lobby or in the CARE Connection chat room.  To move there, click on  "show rooms" above the user names and then double click the room you want to go to (CARE Connection).

If you are unsure about getting there at the correct time try going to www.timetemperature.com/tzus/time_zone.shtml and below the map you will see the time zone differences (i.e. Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern). 

Carolann Page

Rest Ministries

C.A.R.E. Chat Co-ordinator

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Do Not Worry

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
--Proverbs 27:1 (NIV)

In some ways, it seems like yesterday that I first went to my Dr. to find out why I was having numbness in my toe.  It never crossed my mind that this was a symptom of anything that couldn’t be quickly cured.  When my family Dr. sent me to a neurologist, I became a little concerned and when the neurologist told me my nerves were not responding as they should, I truly became anxious and concerned. 

Over the next 3 years, the numbness increased, pain became a daily part of my life and it seemed like I had every medical test, which could be given.  I was told that I had peripheral neuropathy (I couldn’t remember the term to tell people) and a cause could not be found.  My condition evidently was caused by an autoimmune condition (cells attack own cells) and anxiety was high for me and I worried about what the future would bring with this worry preventing me from living each day to the fullest.

The turning point came in my life when I reached the point where I completely turned my life (including health concerns) over to the Lord.  I asked for strength to live each day to the fullest and not to worry about what might happen in the future.  I came to terms with knowing that whatever happened, God would be with me and would give me the necessary strength.  I was able to know true peace of mind.

Don’t you have your hands full with today? Do you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today by worrying about the problems of tomorrow and fantasizing about all the possibilities down the road?  It is a waste of time and energy to worry about things over which we have no control.  God will take care of us whatever the situation and that is all that matters.

MY PRAYER...
God, give me the strength to seize the moment and live the life today that will please you and bless others. Help my heart feel the urgency of today and act with boldness, kindness, and salvation instead of worrying so much about what may happen. Give me the immediacy of the moment I see in your son's ministry. Through whom I pray. Amen.

AUTHOR:

Pat

Make God The Portion Of Your Heart

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“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

We have been pretty much conditioned by the world to believe things that are blatantly untrue. For instance, if one has beauty, health and money, God must approve of them. Sadly, even Christians fall for this lie from the pit. When the beauty, money or health is taken away, sometimes their faith falls like a house of cards blown by the wind.

Beloved, don’t believe this lie! You may be at your lowest point physically, emotionally or monetarily, but hear how God really feels about you: “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him;” (Psalm 103:11)

If you are like me, at this point your heart is beginning to beat a little faster! It is usually here that a small thought tries to spoil it for me, “how could God love a sinner, like me?” Then the Spirit whispers, “Read on!” The next verse sets me at peace; “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (v12)

Yet, still I suffer . . . what’s up with that? Beloved, we may never know on this side of heaven why things have happened the way they have . . . and that’s okay. Instead of focusing on what is wrong, let us take the attitude of Paul, who said, “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10-11)

May His peace guard your heart and mind in Jesus!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christy Brewster and her husband live on the Oregon coast. She lives with MS and Diabetes. Her writing goal is found in Psalm 19:14, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

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A Prayer From A Child Of God

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide

under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my

refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psa. 91:1&2 NIV)

Wonderful Daddy God:

How precious your love is to all of us and

how much we need you.

Sometimes Father we get so scared and the

little child in us needs to be assured that you

are indeed our Abba Daddy God and that you

adore us as if we were your only child....

because that is how much you

love us all, as if we were your only child.

Help us to comprehend this Lord!

Help us to feel your special and gentle caress

in our lives as we hold on tight to you

through all that we go through every day

of our lives.

Breathe upon us daily and bring us to

the place in our lives and hearts where we

can learn trust in you and also trust

in ourselves.

Help us to believe in ourselves knowing

that you created us in Your image.

You know every part of our being.

Search our hearts and make us pure

before You and help us when we stumble

To NEVER give up.... but to hold our heads

up high and to know that we will make it

through You!

Help us Father to be a healing light

to others that are hurting.

Give us compassion and help us

to use the hurts that have been in our

lives to help others that are hurting.

Be the beacon of light to guide our

footsteps and our pathways.

Give every person that reads this prayer

a special blessing today within themselves.

Rain abundantly on each dear heart.

We thank you and give you all praise and glory

and we ask all in Jesus merciful name...

Amen

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Dittert (Aka Pastor Nancie-rose) lives in a
berm home in Rural Central Iowa with her husband
& soul mate Patrick, 2 cats and a Lab/Sharpei dog.
Nancy & Patrick are both pastors, retiring early
because of illness. Nancy lives with Severe
Fibromyalgia and Neuropathy, and her husband had
a brain tumor that left him disabled. They are still
actively involved in Prayer Group, Home Fellowship,
and Chronic Pain Support Ministry through the
Internet. Write Nancy at nancierose@msn. com
and visit herChronic Pain Web Site at
http://Fibromyalgia help.homestead. com/index. html

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