Next week marks the 40th anniversary of the Joni and Friends radio program!
Hi, I’m Joni and I am so excited about next week! Can you tell?
Does the number 40 ring a bell with you? Well, of course it does. I mean, just flip through the Bible, and the number 40 crops up everywhere. It’s mentioned 146 times. The ark was afloat for 40 days and 40 nights. Moses was on Mount Horeb for 40 days and 40 nights. There was the prophet Jonah, Elijah. There was Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days. And for 40 years God’s people wandered in the desert. Now, all those 40s? They were times of great testing. God wanted to see what his people were made of. Would they trust him in dire circumstances? Well, I share all of this because next week, the first week of May, marks 40 years that I have been doing this radio program. And in those four decades, God has tested me with pressure sores, lung issues, two bouts of cancer, infections, pain that, over the years, has turned chronic.
And as I look back, I’ve shared almost all these difficult moments on this radio program. And if these last 40 years God wanted to see what I was made of, well, all I can say is, on the threshold of the 40th anniversary of Joni and Friends radio, Jesus has seen me through. His grace has been more than sufficient. His word has become my mainstay. Truly, I am a person of Psalm 119:92, “If [God’s] law not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.” And you’ve heard me say that over the years, haven’t you? So, in advance of our 40th anniversary celebration next week, let me share a snippet of what a very young Joni was saying back in May of 1982 on this radio program…
I recently spoke at a Pastor’s Conference where the theme was 2 Timothy 2:9, “But God’s word is not bound.” Now, I was asked to give a message that would underscore that verse and kind of tie in with the rest of the speakers. Well, that morning before I was supposed to speak, I was seated in the Holiday Inn going over my notes. A tune kept playing over and over in my head. “The Word of God’s not bound, nor tied down by my pain. But the Word of God is free, free in me in spite of my chains.” Well, I stopped, and I thought, “Now, wait a minute. That’s not really true.” The Word of God is free in me not in spite of my chains, but because of them. Well, I gathered my papers together and I went on to the session to speak and I explained to the conference how God’s Word was not bound in Paul’s life even though he was bound and chained in person.
Oh, my goodness, I listen to that, and I get chills. Because when I shared that, I had only been in my wheelchair for 15 years. And now, 40 years later, I’m coming up on 55 years. And more than ever, the Word of God is not bound by all those decades in my wheelchair. The Word of God is free; it’s alive, it’s active, not in spite of my limitations, but I’m free because of them. Praise God for the gospel of his grace that has sustained me through 40 years on the radio. So join us next time as we kick off the celebration here at Joniradio.org. And, hey, in advance of the party, drop me a line, would you, to let me know how this program has blessed you over the years? You can always reach me at joniradio.org. Again, that’s joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends