Chronic Illness Pain Devotionals

Grace For The New Year

My grace is sufficient for you"  (2 Corinthians 12:9b NIV)

We have had a long season of ice and snow here in
Central Iowa and as of late I have been longing for the
color green, and new little things of color sprouting up

from the earth. I know that it's way too early to start

thinking about flowers and lush green grass... but all

the same I am hoping perhaps it might come just a little

early this year.

I am often that way with my pain as well. Oh dear
Lord if You could just heal me now so I could go back to

the way I used  to be and I could do all the things I want to

do. That would be wonderful wouldn't it!

But we need to take our days... day by day and seek the

Lord's grace and goodness each day as it comes, trusting

God to see us through and to know what is best for us. He

has us in the palm of His hand.

His grace is sufficient for us. God will never allow us to

suffer or endure more than we have going on in our

lives, or more than we can bear.

Let us look forward to each day as it comes in our new year

rejoicing that we are in God's favor and we are His beloved

children right here on this earth. We have all of God's promises

that are in the Bible.

Father we ask for your grace and mercy as we venture
into the new Year. Help us to take one day at a time trusting

You that You have all in control and we can rest assured
of your care and love for us. In Jesus we ask... Amen

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Nancy Dittert (Founder & Overseer of Fibro/Chronic
Pain Support Ministry) lives in a berm home in Rural
Central Iowa with her husband & soul mate Patrick,
4 cats and a Lab/Sharpei dog. Nancy & Patrick are
both pastors, retiring early because of illness.Nancy
lives with Severe Fibromyalgia, Absence Seizures and
Neuropathy, and her husband had a brain tumor that
left him disabled. They are still actively involved
in Prayer Group, and Chronic Pain Support Ministry

through theInternet and as Christian Freelance writers.
Write Nancy at nancierose@msn.com  and visit her

Chronic Pain Web Site at...
http://fibromyalgiahelp.homestead.com/index.html

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New Year Resolutions

"No, in all these things we are more than 

conquerors through him who loved us."

(Romans8:37 NIV)

Have you made your new years resolutions yet? 

Are you going to lose weight or some other thing?

How long will you keep them?

You see every year we make New Years resolutions,

and many keep them for a time and many break

them before the first day is finished. They have good

intentions and even give it a good try, but are

unsuccessful because it is not a commitment it is

something that is not from the heart.

May I suggest another thing to do, that is to commit. 

To saturate what you are committed to doing, in prayer and

by doing so you are giving it to the Lord and asking him to

help you.  In ourselves we can not keep these commitments

but with Gods everlasting love flowing through our spiritual

veins, we are more than conquerers.  We are victors. To the

victors go the spoils.

This year I hope you will trust in the Lord and also make a

recommitment to serve him and love him even more than

before.  Take time privately to let him saturate your every

being.

This also works in our personal lives as well. If we have things

we are going through, even pain, or any need at all we need to

saturate it in prayer, and let God help you through it and to let

him carry the bulk of the load.

Father we today make a commitment for this coming year that

we will give to you and saturate our lives more in prayer and your

presence.  In Jesus name.. AMEN...

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pastor Pat Dittert lives in a berm home in Central
Iowa with his lovely wife Nancy and 5 fur babies.
Pat lives with Chronic Pain from a number of surgeries
and injuries. Brain Tumor surgery left him disabled and
unable to do most physical activities. He is also a survivor
of Cancer and has 2 stints in his heart. Pat has several
Internet Ministries, leads a Home Bible Fellowship on Sunday
Nights and is a freelance writer with Christian newpapers,
poetry, etc. His Devotional page is...
http://fibromyalgia help.homestead. com/RevPatsDevot ional.html
Contact him at rivpat77@msn. com

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It's OK To Cry

“Jesus wept.”  (John 11:35 NIV).

My emotions are running rampant. I find myself crying easily, during TV shows, conversations, reading emails. Yesterday, our dog of fourteen years died after a battle with cancer. Today, I read about a little girl with terminal cancer who has no family sitting by her bedside all day to comfort her. Another little boy, only eighteen months old, is fighting neuroblastoma and kidney failure. I know each of us experience some sort of chronic illness and pain. There are so many suffering, so I can’t help but ask, “God, Why?”

Jesus answered me as I read John 11. He truly knows our pain. He felt grief when loved ones died, and suffered a horribly torturing death. So as I weep, I know my Savior is weeping with me.

We have an eternal paradise ahead of us, but the ‘here and now’ is painful. Jesus taught us it’s OK to cry, OK to feel what we feel. We are human, created to feel joy, but also to feel pain and grief. So today, instead of fighting off the usual urging to be ‘tough’ and ‘cope’, we can accept that sometimes it’s OK to cry, just like Jesus did. We feel, because God made us this way.

We can’t change our human condition and it’s not for us to decide when our time here is done. Thankfully, that’s God’s job. All we can do in the midst of our emotions is reach out to others who are suffering, be there to offer comfort, and share God’s love and His promise of eternity.  And yes, feel. And as we try to comfort others, may we also know and receive the comfort of God’s loving arms around each of us.

Today, let us give our emotions to God and know that He feels them with us. Funny, a cloudburst of rain started falling as I’m writing this. Tears from Heaven - God, You truly are amazing!

Prayer: “Dear God, Sometimes its so hard to cope with all that we’re feeling. Take our pain and grief, give us comfort and help us go on. Amen.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Doris Farley experiences chronic pain that began after an accident.  Her circumstances have led to an unexpected, life-changing spiritual journey that has renewed her commitment to our Lord. She thanks God for reaching her and prays that God will show you His comfort in all your suffering

The Waiting Game

"’But you must return to your God; maintain love and

justice, and wait for your God always.’" (Hosea 12:6 NIV)

Are you playing the waiting game? For those of us who

live with chronic illness and pain, waiting can be

second nature to us. We wait in our doctor's office;

we wait at the pharmacy to have are medications filled;

we wait for our medications to kick in....but have you

ever waited for God to come to you? Sometimes God is

silent, other times He is not, He is as close as your

shadow. It is God’s grace that sustains us as we wait

Without the grace of God, coupled with patience, we can

become lost and the peace that passes all understanding

can elude us.

Remember what Jesus has said.... "'Come to Me, all you

who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take

My yoke and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble

in heart and you will find rest for your souls.’"

(Matthew 11:28 NIV) Jesus has promised to give us rest...

rest for our weary souls. When we cast our cares upon Him,

we find solace, strength and peace We are nurtured and fed

as we place our trust and faith in " The Wonderful Counselor,"

"The Prince of Peace,', Son of God, Jesus."

We may be weary and tired, afraid that God's mercy will

escape from us, as we have been hurt and rejected by

so many in our lives. Beloved, remember that God is

not man, He is God and will always bestow His love to us.

"'Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the

everlasting God, the Creator of the earth. He will not grow

tired or weary and His understanding no one can fathom. He

gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the

weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and the young men

stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew

their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they

will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

(Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

Turn to Jesus today and find God’s mercy, comfort and peace

for your soul.

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AOUT THE AUTHOR:

Kay DeCarlo, Devotion Coordinator for Rest Ministries, lives

with her husband Joe and two sweet fur-children type dogs, Daphne

and Alice in New England. As a survivor of Hodgkin's Disease and

Congestive Heart Failure, Kay has lost sight that God is bigger

than any trial or circumstance that comes her way. Kay struggles

with Bipolar Disorder Type 1, Diabetes and Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

She may be reached at: writingforhisglory@yahoo.com.

Cast Your Cares Upon God

"When my anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."  Psalm 94:19  (NIV)

I struggle with worry sometimes.  I will admit it.  But during most of this past August and September my anxious thoughts multiplied in far greater measure than just a "case of the worries."

A church in Kentucky needed my husband who is a Pastor.  And we had one month to move!  We weren't planning to leave the little church we had, but this was something we needed to do.  At the same time I was packing my daughter for her first year of college, and my son to return to college.  I had piles sorted for college, piles to pack for our move, and things we will need until the last minute.

I became too busy and anxious, to spend the time I needed with the Lord.  Isn't that dumb?  He is the source of our strength!  And my "what ifs" were multiplying like bunnies!

What if the move throws me into another flare?

What if I stumble or drop things as I unpack?

What if I trip or spill things in front of a parishioner?

What if?  What if He is the Lord over all?  What if He knows the beginning from the end?  I am in His Hands, I and I know that is really is the Lord.  "I sought the Lord and He delivers me from all of my fears."  Psalm 34:4

We are in Kentucky now. I am recovered from the move mostly, and we are learning a new level of trust in Him.  Every need we faced as we moved was taken care of.  Yes, it was a hard move, one of the hardest in our many years of ministry, but He made our way clear.  We enjoy our new church immensely, and can see His guiding work all of the way through this.

Prayer: Father I am sorry for the times that I run ahead of you, worrying over things that I know you can take care of. Help me learn to trust you more, even in the big things that scare me.  Amen

About the Author: Sandra Platt is a Minister's wife and mother of two kids in college.  She has had Fibromyalgia for over 18 years, plus other chronic illness.  She is so thankful for the many friends she has made through Rest Ministries.

Waiting Patiently

“I waited patiently for the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry.”  (Psalm 40:1 NIV)

It seems that so much of our life is spent waiting. We resign ourselves to waiting to get a doctor appointment. Then we wait in the waiting room and the exam room. We wait in the lab. Often, we wait for a referral to a specialist. Next we wait at the pharmacy. Sometimes we wait for insurance approval.

We wait for the lab results and then wait some more for the next appointment. We are waiting for a cure or at least a better way to manage pain and illness. Over time, we have learned to wait patiently for all these things.

But how patiently do we wait on the Lord? I am often impatient. May I have an answer now please? May I see the results of my prayers now? To echo the psalmist, “how long, O Lord, how long?”

“Wait” is often God’s answer. The Bible is full of instances where God told His people to wait. Abraham and Sarah were to wait for their promised child, but they became impatient and decided to “help” God. The Israelites wandered in the desert, waiting for the promised land. They were not always patient, either.

David waited patiently for the Lord. Esther waited for the right time to answer the King regarding her request. Jesus waited for His disciples to understand.

God tells us to wait patiently. His answers and His timing may not be ours, but they are always perfect. I once knew a woman who prayed for thirty years for something before she saw the answer! Looking back, she said she saw how God was working all those years and how His timing was just right, no matter what she was feeling during those years. She prayed and prayed and prayed. That is waiting patiently!

Be assured that God is working in your life. Sometimes His answers are immediate. When they are not, remember those who waited patiently and be encouraged to wait patiently on the Lord.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Priscilla Ervin lives in Arlington, TX with chronic Epstein Barr, Fibromyalgia and other health issues. She hasn’t always been patient and still is not sometimes, but does know that God’s timing is perfect and prays others can have this assurance too. She loves to read the Old Testament and see how God worked in everyone’s lives.

The True Christmas Light

“…and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”
Matthew 2:9b, 10

“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”
John 12:46

Tonight I watched a show on PBS called “Christmas in Yellowstone”. Most of the program was filled with beautiful shots of nature along with narration.

When the program started and the narrator began speaking, a picture of darkness on the TV screen was shortly lit by several Christmas trees adorned with white lights. She was saying, “Christmas always starts with a light in the darkness.” She was speaking, of course, of the tree lighting ceremonies.

But yes! The first Christmas did indeed start with a light in the darkness!

The wise men followed the bright star that illuminated the darkness of night, to bring gifts to the real, true Light in the darkness, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. It had to have been an outstandingly bright light, too. Two thousand years ago there was no light pollution blotting out God’s beautiful night sky of glittering stars. The air was pure also, making visibility easy. Imagine an almost black night sky, lit not by city lights, but only by millions upon millions of stars. Think how bright the one star must have been to stand out from all the others! Among the millions of stars, the Magi looked heavenward and  saw the brightest one, focused on it and followed it to Jesus.

Now, Jesus is our Light in the dark, fallen world in which we live. If we focus on Him, we will follow Him and if we follow Him we will one day be made whole, trading in not just our broken down, pain filled bodies, but our sinful ones as well, for a new and perfect one.

As the program came to a close, the television screen again dark, then lit only by red lights on Christmas trees, the narrator spoke: “Christmas ends as it began -- with lights dancing in the dark.” For Christians, Christmas never ends, for God gave us Christ for eternity.

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Priscilla Ervin lives in Arlington, TX with her husband of 31 years. Together they fight her Fibromyalgia, Chronic Epstein Barr and other medical conditions. Jesus is always her Light, and helps her through the darkest days of pain and illness.

What Do You Want For Christmas?

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,

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with a loud command, with the voice of the

archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the

dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still

alive and are left will be caught up together with them

in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will

be with the Lord forever.Therefore encourage each other

with these words." (1Thess 4:16-18 NIV)

What is your ultimate Christmas gift?

Have you ever been asked "What do you want for

Christmas?"  Yes we get asked that many times this

time of year.  However I ask "What do you really want

for Christmas?"

As far as wordly goods are concerned, I have all I want.

I have the greatest wife.  I have the greatest kids and

Grandkids.  I really do not need anything. 

However there is one thing I crave for Christmas.  it

is not worldly, but it is a gift only God can give.  That

would be the best gift ever.  That would be if Jesus

returned to take us home on the day we celebrate

Christ's birth.  WOW!!!!! That would be the best ever.

All of our pain would be gone, all of our fears and

anxieties etc. We would have the gift to go where we

would be living for eternity.

Father Help us to keep our perspective and to always

remember that Jesus is the real reason for the season.

Amen.........

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Pastor Pat Dittert lives in a berm home in Central
Iowa with his lovely wife Nancy and 5 fur babies.
Pat lives with Chronic Pain from a number of surgeries
and injuries. Brain Tumor surgery left him disabled and
unable to do most physical activities. He is also a survivor
of Cancer and has 2 stints in his heart. Pat has several
Internet Ministries, leads a Home Bible Fellowship on Sunday
Nights and is a freelance writer with Christian newpapers,
poetry, etc. His Devotional page is...
http://fibromyalgiahelp.homestead.com/RevPatsDevotional.html
Contact him at rivpat77@msn.com

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A Clear View

“My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy.  Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.  The strength to keep going must be allowed to finish its work. Then you will be all you should be. You will have everything you need.” (James 1:2-4 NIV)

Do you remember life without pain?  It seems my neuropathy has been with me so long that I find it hard to relate to life without this continuous nerve pain of legs, ankles and feet (and sometimes hands and lower arms).  Through these years of managing pain, I have become most aware of how pain can lead one to have a distorted view of life.  In research, I have read how pain can cause the body chemistry to be altered and can easily lead to depression.

I read a wonderful analogy between eyeglasses and our outlook on life, which I can certainly relate to my life.  I began wearing glasses before I was walking due to a “lazy” eye.  Thankfully this was corrected early in life but in my “mature” years of life, I have found glasses necessary to be able to read anything at all.  Should I not have glasses or if the lenses become cracked or dirty, my close-up view becomes very distorted.  How can we keep a clear view of life?  Let Jesus be our vision and His word be our guide.  Then any distorted vision or clouded viewpoint will again become very clear.

As we read in the above scripture, trouble and pain can put our faith to the test and distort our vision.  However, if we turn to Jesus for clear sight, this clouded vision will become very clear and we can know pure joy.

Prayer:  Father, teach us to turn to You when our sight becomes distorted and leads to a negative view of life.  With Your strength, we know our vision can become very clear again.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patricia Armstrong lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with her husband, Richard.  She and Richard find so much joy in serving at their church and volunteering at their church conference center in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  Patricia copes daily with pain from a idiopathic nerve disease but find comfort in applying James 1:2-4 to all situations in her life.

Are You Ready For Christmas?

“…any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33 NIV)

The streets are busy, the malls are full, and everyone is making plans. The most common question people ask this season is: "Are you ready for Christmas?"

How do we respond? Are we truly ready for Christmas?

For those of us who love the Lord and truly celebrate Him during this season, this simple question is an open door to share the good news of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. It may not be "politically correct" but it certainly is spiritually pertinent—not to some, not only to Christians, but to all mankind.

How ready are we to celebrate the birth of Jesus; how would Jesus have us celebrate His birth?

We’ve all commented about the commercialism of Christmas and how it’s gotten way out of hand. Many people nearly bankrupt themselves each year in order to provide gifts and host parties and such during the holiday season. But is it what the Lord really wants? It seems to me when we celebrate someone's birthday, we should design the celebration to please the One whose birthday we celebrate. Consider for a moment what would be the best gift we could possibly give Him?

There's a song I remember from my childhood that seems to answer this question in a simple yet profound way:

What Can I Give Him?
By Christina Rossetti

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb.
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part,
But, what can I give Him?
Give Him my Heart.

The essence of the simple song captures the heart of Christ, not only at Christmas but throughout the year. Give Him what He wants most–the hearts of all mankind. And, the next time someone asks, "Are you ready for Christmas?" share with them that you have already given Him the gift He longs for most—a surrendered heart.

Prayer:  Father, I pray our celebration be one that reflects the gift that is most pleasing to the One whose birth we celebrate…a surrendered heart.  In Jesus name, amen!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jan Ross lives in Willard, OH, with her husband, Ron; they have six adult children and twelve incredible grandchildren.  Jan is an ordained minister and missionary with Heart of God International Ministries (www.heartofgodinternational.com).  She enjoys teaching and writing Bible Studies and teaching piano.  Jan continuously experiences God’s strength being made perfect in her weakness from fibromyalgia, psoriatic arthritis and other chronic conditions.  Feel free to contact Jan at jan@janross.org.