10 Books That Encouraged Me Through Chronic Illness

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For six long years of my life, I dealt with an undiagnosed chronic illness. (You can read about the day I was healed of it here – it was three years ago this week! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼) Although at first I didn’t realize the seriousness of what I faced, over time it became obvious that something was seriously wrong, and I struggled to keep my hopes up.

Even though I was tired all the time and couldn’t get through as many books as I wanted to, I read as much as I could during my illness. Several books were helpful to me as I fought to believe there was still a purpose for my life and to believe for healing itself as my health continued to decline.

If you’re facing something similar, here are a few books that might encourage you:

1. God is Able by Priscilla Shirer. I read a lot of books with this theme when I was sick. I needed them! And they did not disappoint. That difficult thing you’re facing? God is able to fix it!
2. You’re Going to Be Okay by Holley Gerth. This author’s books are always encouraging, and this specific kind of encouragement was especially needed during some of my toughest days.
3. Your Dream, God’s Plan by Tiffany Smiling. This is a newer release, so I didn’t get to read it until after I was healed, but I wished I’d been able to get a copy sooner! Smiling faced cancer multiple times, underwent dangerous surgeries, suffered a stroke, and shares how she surrendered her dreams to God in the midst of all these trials. Unlike many well-meaning people who don’t fully understand what it’s like to be sick all the time, this author completely gets it, and it was encouraging to hear from someone who’s been there.
4. You’ll Get Through This by Max Lucado. I mean, the title itself is uplifting. There were a few days where I probably should’ve just framed the book cover and stared at it to get the message I needed. 😊 Lucado acknowledges that life is full of trials, but he also shares how God can use those trials for good, using Joseph from the Bible as an example.
5. Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth. A more in-depth read that I never would have picked up if not for my own desperate need for healing. Christ IS our healer, healing IS possible, and this book includes a lot of Scripture to prove it.
6. The Grave Robber: How Jesus Can Make Your Impossible Possible by Mark Batterson. My God is the God of the impossible, and any book that reminded me of that was a helpful tool during my season of illness.
7. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Another Batterson book that urged me to have faith, seize opportunities, and pray more effectively. I love his informal (yet well-researched) writing style, and I’ve never read a book of his I didn’t like!
8. Fervent by Priscilla Shirer. This isn’t my typical read, but I was praying desperate prayers and willing to pick up any book that could help me with that. This book is described as “a woman’s battle plan to serious, specific prayer,” so it definitely fit the bill.
9. When God Doesn’t Fix It by Laura Story. If you’ve heard the author’s name before, it’s probably because she’s also released a handful of chart-topping Christian songs. She knows the battle of dealing with physical problems all too well, since doctors discovered a tumor in her husband’s brain shortly after she married him, and his was a diagnosis without any cure. Their lives have never been normal since, and she offers encouragement on how to cope when God doesn’t fix our problems.
10. 365 Days of Healing: Powerful Devotions and Prayers to Help You Recover and Keep You Well by Mark Brazee. Even though this wasn’t a quick, easy devotional like I admittedly prefer, this book was recommended to me by someone who’d been healed of her own chronic illness, so I got a copy and plowed through it for one whole year. I happened to get healed midway through that year. Coincidence? I can’t say, but I can tell you that this book was a part of my healing story and at least one other person’s.

If you’re facing a chronic illness or health problems of your own, I’m praying for you and I hope these books provide you with the same encouragement they did for me. God’s not done with you, and he is a God who heals! I have been the recipient of a miracle in my own life, and I pray that you receive yours, too. 🙏🏼❤️