9 Years Of Suffering, Grace, And Faithfulness

Hello friends and family. Today is January 6th, 2021. Nine years ago today, on January 6th, 2012, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. It is not the kind of anniversary a person typically celebrates, but it is an opportunity for me to give praise to God for His faithfulness in my life.

I don’t typically write a post this late, but I had a dentist appointment today to get two old silver fillings taken out. My face is still numb, which is funny as I type this. There was also a lot going on in our country today, and I spent time preaching the truth on Twitter. The Lord also opened a door to share the Gospel with an unbeliever this morning, which was awesome. Please pray for a girl named Milly. She asked great questions, and it is clear the Lord is drawing her to Himself.

The last nine years has been a huge learning experience for me. I was 33 when I was diagnosed. I am 42 now. There were times that I suffered torturous pain for many years. Many of you may remember a recent time in November when I was suffering badly again, and I appreciate you all praying for me. I am doing much better now, praise God!

All of these years have also been filled with great comfort and healing from the Lord. Through it all, I want you all to know that God has been so very faithful to me, and I give Him praise for all He has done to sustain me and lift me up! Jesus has never left my side, and He has given me great strength to endure this disease. The main truth I have learned is that His grace truly is sufficient for me.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

From the miracle the Lord did to save my life when I stopped breathing on 4-28-2012 to this very moment, God has shown me His great power and love through all my suffering. There were so many times that I wanted to give up, but the Lord would never give up on me. He always strengthens me and lifts me up by the power of His Holy Spirit! Indeed, if it wasn’t for His power in me I would not have made it this far. Truly, just as Paul said, when I am weak, then I am strong!

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the day I died. I will never forget Jesus comforting me, telling me “It’s okay,” and putting me back in my body in the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit! It was incredible and amazing, and it gives me great strength to press on! We have nothing to fear in Jesus! He will be right there waiting for us when it’s our time to go, and there will be no more pain! He wipes it all away and we will be in perfect peace with the Lord forever!

My Lazarus Moment

I want to encourage all of you who are suffering chronic illness, disease, and pain to give it all to Jesus and rest in Him. I know it is hard and I know how bad it can hurt, but please never give up. There is a purpose in our pain. Sometimes it is to refine us, and sometimes it is to minister to others, and many times we don’t understand, but the Lord will see us through it all. His Word promises that He works everything out for the good of those who love Him. When you believe in Jesus, you can trust that He has your life in the palm of His hand, and He will never leave you nor forsake you. After nine years of suffering, I can testify to that truth with all my heart.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

-Romans 8:28

There is so much I could talk about regarding my suffering, but I want this post to be short and sweet. My eyes are fixed on Jesus, and I give Him praise for all He has done in my life! He has been so gracious and merciful to me, and I am so thankful to have survived this disease! Thank You, Lord, for Your great love and encouragement that You shower me with every day! Thank You for lifting me up and never giving up on me! Through all the pain and even through times I have been angry and difficult to deal with, You just keep on loving me, and I am forever grateful! You deserve all glory and praise forever and ever!

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are

his;

we are his people, the sheep of his

pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his

name.

For the LORD is good and his love

endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all

generations.”

-Psalm 100:1-5

May my suffering be a testimony of God’s unending love and faithfulness to His people. May He use me for His glory as He sees fit, and may I serve Him in a way that is pleasing to Him! We are only on this earth for a short time, and my prayer is that my life will bring Him praise, honor, and glory. May Your Holy will be done Lord, amen and amen!

I love you all! Thank you for praying for me! Thank you all for the encouragement and love you have shown me during all my suffering. You have blessed me more than I can express in words. God is so very good to us. May we always bless His Holy Name no matter what may come our way! Give it all to the Lord and trust Him for He is good and His love endures forever!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;

his love endures forever.”

-Psalm 107:1

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his

name;

make known among the nations what

he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise to him;

tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the

LORD rejoice.

Look to the LORD and his strength;

seek his face always.”

-Psalm 105:1-4

Keep loving Jesus, trust in Him, rest in Him, and never give up!

Grace and peace to you all!

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2023 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

47 thoughts on “9 Years Of Suffering, Grace, And Faithfulness”

  3. Here you are again my brother being a life imparting word of Life, it is like two glasses of mud tell others that the Lord Jesus Christ our potter is the bread of life

    How glorious and I do not want to exaggerate, I know that in everything you give the glory to God, that makes us admire more the Lord Jesus, because of the writing of your blog, I will share a hymn that we Hispanics sing that is specifically for this blog..📖✒💎

    PRAISE GOD

    God does not reject prayer
    Prayer is food
    I never saw a righteous without an answer
    Or be left in suffering

    Just wait
    What god will do
    When you raise your hands
    It is time to win.

    Oh praise
    Just praise
    You are crying, praise
    In the test praises
    You are suffering, praise
    Never mind praises
    Your praise he will hear.

    God is leading the way
    Breaking chains pulling out thorns
    Send his angels with you to fight
    The door opener no one can close

    He he works for those who trust
    He walks with you night and day
    Raise your hands your victory came
    He begins to sing and.

    Chorus:
    Praises God
    Praises God
    Praises God
    Praises God

    People need to understand
    What god is talking about
    When he he is silent
    It is because he is working
    Just wait
    What god will do
    When he extends his hands
    It is time to win.

    Oh praise
    Just praise
    You are crying, praise
    In the test praises
    You are suffering, praise
    Never mind praises
    Your praise he will hear.

    God is leading the way
    Breaking chains pulling out thorns
    Send his angels with you to fight
    The door opener no one can close

    He works for those who trust
    Walk with you night and day
    Raise your hands your victory came
    He begins to sing and.

    Chorus:
    Praises God
    Praises God
    Praises God
    Praises God.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Psalm 91
        1
        He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
        He will dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.
        2 I will say to Jehovah, My hope, and my castle;
        My God, in whom I will trust.
        3 He will deliver you from the hunter’s snare,
        From the destructive plague.
        4 he will cover you with his feathers,
        And under his wings you will be sure;
        Shield and shield is the truth of him.
        5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
        Nor an arrow that flies by day,
        6 Nor pestilence that walks in darkness,
        Nor the plague that destroys at noonday.
        7 A thousand will fall by your side,
        And ten thousand at your right hand;
        But it will not come to you.
        8 Certainly with your eyes you will see
        And you see the reward of the wicked.
        9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my hope,
        To the Most High for your room,
        10 No harm will befall you,
        No plague will touch your home.
        11 For his angels will he command over you,
        May they keep you in all your ways.
        12 They will carry you in their hands,
        So that your foot does not stumble on a stone.
        13 On the lion and the asp you will tread;
        You will trample the lion’s cub and the dragon.
        14 Because he has put his love in me, I also will deliver him;
        I will put him on high, because he has known my name.
        15 he will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
        I will be with him in anguish;
        I will deliver him and glorify him.
        16 I will satisfy him with long life,
        And I will show you my salvation.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. P.S. I have tried to follow your blog, but when I click your link it says “we can’t find that site.” Not sure why that is happening. Is your blog working okay? What is your blog domain?

        Like

      4. I’m really sorry
        God bless you my brother, it is that I have not blessed my blog well, I am new to WP, but I will organize everything to learn well and have no problems, I want to do it as soon as possible to share blog on my blog.

        Liked by 1 person

      8. Thank you my brother with all my heart Thank you, we are one body in Christ Jesus, I am learning your language, but we are part of the same kingdom of God and I will strive to be like you because you are like Jesus, as the apostle Paul said, be imitators of me just as I am imitator of Jesus Christ….📖✒💎

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I thank God for you life!!!
    May your testimony continue as God renews your strength every day!

    I’ll be praying for Milly as well as the resources your need to continue living in Gods will!

    God bless you Ryan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. Ryan, you have been on a hard and difficult road, (nobody knows that as much as you and the Lord), but you don’t give up. I am so proud of you and I wish you knew just how much. The love you have for the Lord and your family, and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ is witnessed by God and all of us, and I want you to know how much you are loved back! We appreciate you writing such beautiful posts and lifting us up with the living word, even in times when you don’t feel good, but with the Holy Spirit you do, and are victorious in spreading God’s word and love! Praise Almighty God. The desire and passion you have to save people’s souls so they, too, can share their lives with Jesus, is a wonderful gift from God, and one that I know you cherish and do for His glory. God bless you and be with you, Ryan, everyday as he calls on you to be his loyal servant. “God, I pray with faith and hope everyday for your continued healing and happiness, for Ryan”. Amen. I am so proud of you, Ry, and you inspire me every day. Love your, Mom
    “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your word”. -Psalm 119:114
    “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord”. – Psalm 31:24
    ” I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray
    with joy!” – Philippians 1:3-4

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. Pingback: 9 Years Of Suffering, Grace, And Faithfulness – Freedom In Truth

  14. Ryan, thank you for sharing your testimony on the anniversary of the diagnosis. I do keep you in my prayers and I live with chronic illnesses and understand the suffering. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18. This statement by Paul has been strength for me at times when all I could do was declare Christ over what I felt was my dead body. May God continue to bless you and guide you. Your faithfulness is a testimony for us all.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. God bless you Ryan. This here spoke to my heart today as I’ve been doing poorly of late…..

    “When you believe in Jesus, you can trust that He has your life in the palm of His hand, and He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

    Thank you so much for writing this and for your perseverance through these 9 years. I praise Jesus for His grace. Amen. 💚

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Vivian. I’m sorry to hear that you are struggling. I’m praying that the Lord pours out His Spirit on you and heals you! Amen, His grace truly is sufficient, and I pray He strengthens you and lifts you up! Hold tight to Jesus, He will never let you go! Blessings to you and your family!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  17. Amen. “I want to encourage all of you who are suffering chronic illness, disease, and pain to give it all to Jesus and rest in Him” Thank you for the encouragement and be safe.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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