“The weaker I am, the harder I must lean on God’s grace; the harder I lean on him, the stronger I discover him to be, and the bolder my testimony to his grace.”
The lady who wrote these words bears testimony to them with her life. Since 1967, she has been a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. Yet, through her suffering, she drew closer to God and learned how to lean on His grace. God has used her to minister to people of all ages and walks of life, and today she is “an international advocate for people with disabilities.”
Here is the incredible testimony of Joni Eareckson Tada.
One fateful day in the summer of 1967, an active teenager named Joni went swimming with her friends. That day, she dove into a lake that was too shallow and broke her neck. Instantly, she was paralyzed from the neck down. Joni found herself lying in a hospital bed, unable to sit or stand or even brush her teeth. She struggled with despair and depression, even asking friends to help her commit suicide. Joni grappled with the question,
“Why did God allow this in my life?”
After two years of recovery and rehabilitation, Joni still had no answers to her question. But God brought a friend named Steve Estes into her life. Steve had a working knowledge of the Bible and a heart of compassion. When Joni asked Steve why God had allowed her accident, he explained that he didn’t have all the answers. But he pointed her to the cross of Jesus Christ.
He asked, “Joni, whose will do you think the cross was?” She answered that it was God’s will, of course. Everyone knew that. But he reminded her that Jesus’ death had been planned by the devil, by Judas Iscariot, and by Roman soldiers. Then he read Acts 4:28 to her.
“For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:27-28)
The cross of Christ was no mistake.
Both God and Satan were at work to make it happen. Satan wanted to thwart God’s plans, deceive God’s people, and crucify God’s Son. But God had a purpose. Through the pain and suffering of the cross, Jesus would pay for the sins of all mankind. Now, He offers forgiveness and eternal life to anyone who will believe on Him. (Contact us at our prison ministries to learn more.)
In one interview, Joni shared, “It didn’t take long for me to understand the parallel between what happened at the cross of Christ and my own disability. I began to see that in the accident in which I became paralyzed, Heaven and Hell were participating in the exact same event, but for different reasons.” Satan wanted to destroy her faith, and God wanted to make her more like Christ.
She wrote, “God used this injury to develop in me patience and endurance and tolerance and self-control and steadfastness and sensitivity and love and joy. Those things didn’t matter much when I was on my feet but, boy, they began to matter after I began living life in a wheelchair.”
Joni also began to look forward to heaven in a way she had never done before. “In other words this wheelchair help me see that the good things in this life aren’t the best things. There are better things yet to come. The good things in this life are only omens and foreshadowing of more glorious, grand, great things to burst on the scene when we walk into the other side of eternity,” she said. At our prison ministries, we are looking forward to what God has in store for us in Heaven!
As Joni grew closer to God, He began to open doors for her to help others. During rehab, Joni learned to paint and began creating beautiful artwork. In 1982, she began a daily radio broadcast called “Joni and Friends” to share encouragement with her listeners. Since her accident, she has written over 50 books.
In 1982, she married Ken Tada, and, together, they serve in the Joni and Friends Ministry. This non-profit organization provides wheelchairs and Bibles for people in developing countries, sponsors family retreats, hosts radio and television programs, and trains Christians to serve people with disabilities.
Through her life, Joni shows us what it means to depend on God’s grace.
No matter what you are facing right now, God has grace for you, too.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9, He tells us, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness…” If you have believed on the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, you can, “come boldly unto the throne of grace…[to] obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) His grace is sufficient for you!
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Are you searching? Jesus has the answers for addictions and stubborn habits. For more information, send the Crossmans a private message here on Facebook or come to a church service at Prince Albert Baptist Church. Take the first step in a walk of freedom!
For more information, call (306) 940-9554 or email anchorofhopeheb@gmail.com
