HOPE NOTES for Hurting Times: Dealing with Chronic Illness ~ Part 1: What God Ordains is Always Good

A few weeks ago, hubby and I were driving to the “big city” for a doctor’s visit. The highway parallels railroad tracks along miles of our journey where we often observe trains heading west or east.

“I’m always in awe of the power in those engines to pull such a long line of cars,” Brian said. “Hmm, Interesting. See what’s in the middle of that train?”

I glanced left. “Um, no. What’d I miss?”

“Two engines in the middle. That’s not something we usually see.”

“Must be some mega heavy load!” I said.

I’d just been through some weeks of intense pain and difficulty controlling my oxygen—discouraged by my disease, difficulty with mobility, and overwhelming fatigue. Then I thought about that train—particularly the need for those additional engines.

“Ya know,” I said to hubby, “That train reminds me to keep trying.”

“Like the…”

“Little engine that could!” I laughed. “More like the not-so-little engine that couldn’t quite. At least not without that help in the middle.”

“How’d you come up with that?” Brian asked.

“I’ve struggled so much lately—like you don’t know that? But you’ve helped me along.” I took some deep breaths. “‘I think I can, I think I can’…nope, I know I can’t I know I can’t.” My joking melted into tears.

Chronic illnesses! Ones that never go away, worsen over time, and can eventually steal life. Unforgiving and unforgettable for the people who carry them.

There are so many of you out there living with one or more chronic illnesses! Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, ALS, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and the list goes on and on. For me, it’s an interstitial lung disease.

I recall one morning in January when I dragged myself back to our room, dropped onto our bed, and cried. “God, am I dying? I’ve never felt this awful. Please help me.”

Brian came in a bit later. “You okay?”

I shook my head and blurted, “I feel more awful than ever.”

He sat on the stool next to me. “You don’t look well at all. What do you want me to do?”

“Haven’t got a clue,” I sniffed back some tears. “Maybe if I sleep a while. I don’t know.”

But I really wasn’t sure right then, if I closed my eyes, I’d awaken in the same place I’d dozed. This not-so-little engine that couldn’t quite felt more like a train wreck!

Obviously, I didn’t die. But it was a very strange experience—one I haven’t had since but I suspect I’ll repeat. That’s the nature of my disease.

I imagine some of you readers saying, “I get that. I’ve been that low too. Multiple times, and I don’t think people really understand how totally cruddy I feel.”

When we chronic sufferers hit these low points in particular, we may feel utterly hopeless. Discouraged more than usual. Suffer from anxiety. Cry over the thought that, for example, we don’t know if we can get from bed to the bathroom yet alone leave our homes for an appointment or church.

I’m sure some of you don’t want to hear this while others have already come to grips with it and still others may have never considered this: That good could come from your suffering? That the One True God allows you to suffer with an eternal value in mind? That this disease has been ordained by God—like entrusting you with a divine assignment?

Sarah, you’ve got to be kidding!

No, I’m not. And not meaning to sound unfeeling or trite. Remember, I’m a co-sufferer. It would be cruel for me to tell you such without truly believing it myself. I’ll give you two scenarios—1 and 2.

1) If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God can allow the pain you bear to work for the good—Romans 8:28,29. 2) If you’ve not yet considered giving your heart and life to Jesus, it’s possible His Holy Spirit is drawing you to that point through your suffering.

So, here’s the skinny—Reader, your suffering can be a God-ordained assignment. How do I know? One reason is from experience. Your disease/your suffering will take you to places you’d otherwise not go because 1) someone there needs to know about the Lord—and you may be the only one who will tell that person; or 2) you may be taken to that place so you find out about the Savior.

Let’s say this person’s a doctor in a hospital. 1) He may not even realize it himself, but he could very well begin thinking about the Lord after you share the Truth of the Gospel with him. The doctor knows what you’re going through (at least physiologically)—that you are real, and, in a case like this, your pain can be an authenticator. (That actually happened to us, and our doctor later told us she came to know the Lord through observing how we handled suffering/difficulties.) Or 2) the doctor may know the Savior and share about Him with you.

This example (just mentioned) shouts “What God ordains is good!” Even if it’s chronic illness.

An amazing example of a person who lived this testimony through her life? Amy Carmichael, missionary. After long years serving God in India, repercussions from an accident left her bedridden until her death (about 15 years if memory serves me correctly). She expressed that her pain, agonizing at times, left her wondering how God could still use an invalid. Yet, rooted and grounded in Christ and experiencing His watch-care over her life, she believed God made no mistakes and served Him from her bed.

As I close, I urge you to cling to God. No matter what!

Some days are harder than others—perhaps seeming impossible—but God knows there’s purpose in my pain—

And in yours.

He Who suffered beyond anything I can imagine as He went through torture prior to His crucifixion and carried the unfathomable burden of sin on Himself—

For us.

May it help you to hold on to Hope as you keep in mind that God ordains your pain for good. And, one day—when He calls His children Home—there will be…

No. More. Suffering!

What God Ordains is Always Good

What God ordains is always good; His will is just and holy.

As He directs my life for me, I follow meek and lowly.

My God indeed in ev’ry need knows well how He will shield me;

to Him, then, I will yield me.

What God ordains is always good; He never will deceive me.

He leads me in His righteous way, and never will He leave me.

I take, content, what He has sent; His hand that sends me sadness

will turn my tears to gladness.

What God ordains is always good; His loving thought attends me;

No poison can be in the cup that my Physician sends me.

My God is true; each morning new I trust His grace unending,

my life to Him commending.

What God ordains is always good; He is my Friend and Father.

He suffers naught to do me harm tho’ many storms may gather.

Now I may know both joy and woe; some day I shall see clearly

that He has loved me dearly.

What God ordains is always good; tho’ I the cup am drinking

Which savors now of bitterness, I take it without shrinking.

For after grief God gives relief, my heart with comfort filling

and all my sorrow stilling.

What God ordains is always good; this truth remains unshaken.

Tho’ sorrow, need, or death be mine, I shall not be forsaken.

I fear no harm, for with His arm He shall embrace and shield me;

so to my God I yield me.

(hymn What God Ordains is Always Good, by Samuel Rodigast, 1675, public domain)

This blog post is dedicated to my sister Carolyn—

a modern-day Amy Carmichael whose life reflects

what God ordains is always good.

HOPE NOTES for Hurting Times

Monday, April 20, 2026

Dealing with Chronic Illness ~ Part 1: What God Ordains is Always Good

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