My friend David lives on the edge. He’s a quadriplegic; his wife left him after the car accident in which he became injured. He survives on government benefits, and lives alone in a little apartment downtown. After David gets up in the morning, he more or less pretty much fends for himself after his part time attendant leaves. Despite all his struggles, David always orders the public access van on Saturday evening so that he can come to our church for Sunday services.
I once cornered him after Sunday service. I said, “David, who helps you with dinner every night?” David explained that he usually powers his wheelchair over to the Pizza Hut. “The Lord always provides someone to help,” he laughs. “Sometimes it’s one of the waiters on break or sometimes it’s a stranger having dinner who sees me and offers to help. I can sort of feed myself,” David said proudly. “I just need someone to place the piece of pizza right here in the curve of my hand just so. But Joni, I’ll tell you something. All this helps me to depend on the God. I mean …. I really depend on Him.”
Wow! Like flickering candles snuffed in the wind, this man’s hopes have been extinguished one by one. I mean, place yourself in his shoes.
His marriage has been dissolved, gone; the hope of fathering sons or daughters, gone. The hope of rising to the top of some engaging career, it’s gone. And all of those incredibly precious little things in life like peeling an apple or fishing or backpacking or shooting a few baskets with the guys; fly fishing. Cooking dinner, working out – it’s all gone. All gone, irretrievably out of reach for the rest of his life.
David could go right along with Job and say, “My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart…. Where then is my hope for me?” David has only one—just one—answer to that question. Jesus is David’s only hope. Literally!
David inspires me because of that. This guy’s not afraid to live on the edge. Somehow he finds light in the darkness and hope in the middle of so much helplessness. And God has revealed to him the preciousness of Isaiah 45:3 where the Lord promises, “I will give you treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you may know I am the Lord, the God of Israel.” Well, out there on the frayed and tattered edge of life, David has found a treasure – it’s Jesus. Oh, how wealthy are the people who need Jesus and need him desperately; whose treasure in the darkness is a deeper knowledge of Him.
Think about David’s life for a minute; now think about what you treasure in life. Are you hurting? Are you struggling? In the midst of your own darkness, there are treasures, there are riches of wisdom that could never be discovered in the light of ease and peace and comfort, but only in the darkness. In that darkness you’ll find your treasure is your Savior. Why? Because needing God desperately will always, always, always make you wealthy.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends