What is a Chronic Warrior?

Chronic Warrior

Chronic Warrior” - what in the world is that? Chronic usually refers to disease while warrior refers to someone strong, able-bodied, not diseased. Aren’t the terms rather opposite?

Not in God’s army. You see, “…God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (1 Corinthians 1:27). I believe that God has called some of us to a very special position in His army. I believe that God doesn’t just allow us to have chronic or debilitating illness, but actually uses our illnesses. Why? Because God needs us to be prayer warriors for Him. One thing that the chronically ill typically have in abundance is time - specifically time alone since they do not have the strength to get out much or to spend a lot of time with people. This time that they have is a blessing, a gift from God, a weapon against our enemy - Satan. (Isn’t it just like our amazing God to turn a result of sin in this old fallen world into a tool against our mortal enemy?)

Many of us have dedicated our lives to serving our God. We love Him and want to glorify Him, offering our bodies a living sacrifice for him. (Romans 12:1-2 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”) Upon dedicating my life to His service, I was willing to go anywhere - even Africa - for Him. What I never dreamed was that God would be calling me much closer to home - home itself, actually, specifically, my bed - at times. The willingness to go there came harder. I wanted to be on the front lines, to be in the action.

A close friend helped me see that prayer warriors are on the front lines. We are there lifting up needs and souls to the Father much as Aaron and Hur lifted up Moses’ hands. (Exodus 17:12, “But Moses‘ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron andHur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”)

So, this blog is just to share what God is doing in my life through my chronic illnesses and what I am learning through them. My hope is that this will encourage others and that God will use it to inspire others to become chronic warriors for Him.