Chronic Illness – Why His Presence Matters
I had seen the battle up close.
I’d witnessed her fatigue, her pain, her relentless search for the right treatment—her deep desire to stay active and present. I’d watched my mom fight to hold on to the life she once had. From the front row, I saw her slowly adapt to life with a chronic illness.
What I didn’t realize was that one day, I’d be fighting the same battle myself.
Grieving
After months of pain medication, steroid injections, and orthopedic treatments, I finally received the answer I’d been searching for.
But it wasn’t the answer I wanted.
With a referral in hand and a boot strapped to my leg, I hobbled out of the doctor’s office, the weight of the diagnosis pressing heavily on me. I sat in my car, made a few calls to family, and then tried to begin processing it all.
I wept—for the toll it had already taken on my body, for the financial and emotional stress that lay ahead. I grieved the future I thought I’d have and the burden I now knew I’d carry.
Eventually, the tears stopped. And I was met with silence.
Though my family had just spoken words of comfort and encouragement, the quiet brought with it an unsettling loneliness.
This was my battle now. And I wasn’t sure I had the strength to fight it well.
Emmanuel — God With Us
From the very first pages of Scripture, we see God’s presence interwoven with the good of His people. Before pain and death entered the world, Adam and Eve lived in perfect fellowship with their Creator. All was very good as they walked with Him in peace and unity (Genesis 1:31).
But that fellowship was fractured when they chose to rely on their own understanding rather than God’s wisdom. In their rebellion, their intimacy with Him was broken. Ashamed, they hid. And as a result, they were cast out of the garden—with the promise that one day, all would be made right.
That one day, death would lose its sting.
That one day, God would dwell with His people again (Genesis 3).
His Unending Mercy
We see this pattern play out again and again through Scripture.
There is a promise of hope, protection, and victory in God’s presence.
And yet, we stubbornly pursue life apart from Him.
In Deuteronomy 1, Moses recalls the Israelites’ refusal to trust God’s promised provision:
“But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. … Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son all the way you went until you reached this place.” In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go.”
— Deuteronomy 1:26–33
Though God's people were often tempted to follow their own path, He never withheld what they truly needed.
He offered them something better —He offered them Himself.
By relying on God to do what he promised to do, the Israelites would not only be a light to the nations, they would be filled with the light of his joy, peace, and hope, as well. If his presence was with them, guiding them by day and by night, they would not falter or perish. They didn’t need to rely on their own strength or understanding. In fact, doing so would be to their own detriment. Only God is all-powerful. Only God is all-knowing. And if they would just trust Him in their wilderness suffering, His presence would not only guide them—it would guarantee their victory.
Jesus Among Us
Then, in the ultimate act of humility, Jesus came.
God Himself—walking among His people.
During His ministry, Jesus lived alongside those He came to save. He healed the sick, taught repentance, gave sight to the blind, and restored the broken. He discipled with compassion and authority, calling His followers to a servant-led life.
His presence gave them hope, courage, and strength. They preached the gospel, endured suffering, and even performed miracles—not because they were capable, but because He was with them.
And when it was time for Jesus to return to the Father, He made this promise:
“Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”
—John 16:7
The Advocate—the Holy Spirit—has come.
His presence now lives within every believer, enabling us to trust God, obey Him, and reflect Him more clearly. His presence never leaves, even when it’s hard to feel amid chronic illness, with its pain, uncertainty, and exhaustion. And it is our guarantee of ultimate victory, regardless of a diagnosis—because Christ has already secured it.
He Fights for Us
At the time of writing this, my son is just days away from heart surgery.
My mind is full as we prepare, but one thought rises above the rest:
I wish I could take his place.
I wish this were my burden to carry.
But this is his journey.
One he must walk himself—a journey that will involve pain and difficulty, yes, but also one that will be marked by joy and peace, as God’s presence works in and through him. God will use this for his good (Romans 8), for through suffering, God has promised to produce perseverance, character, and hope and this “hope does not put us to shame” (Romans 8:5).
Because God’s presence is not passive.
He fights with us. He fights for us.
When our pain brings us to tears, His tears join the puddle.
When we feel alone and exposed, “His faithfulness will be [our] shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).
And when our grip begins to slip, He holds us fast—and He will not let go.
Come, Lord Jesus
One day soon, Jesus will come again, and we will dwell in His presence forever.
There will be no more pain. No more sorrow. No more tears.
“No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will serve Him.
They will see His face … There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever.”
- Revelation 22:3–5
