Happy National Autism Awareness Month! Hear Joni share about an important hymn as well.
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Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada with a heartwarming story behind a wonderful old hymn called “Hallelujah, What a Savior”.
(Joni sings:)
Man of Sorrows, what a name
For the Son of God who came.
Ruined sinners to reclaim
Hallelujah what a Savior
Every time I sing this beautiful old hymn, “Hallelujah, what a Savior,” I am taken back to one of our Joni and Friends Family Retreats; it was Talent Night when a five-year-old boy with autism named Blade walked up to the stage holding his mommy’s hand. Blade is, for the most part, non-verbal; he hardly ever talks. He certainly had not talked all week at Family Retreat. While Blade waited up on the stage, his mother explained that he enjoyed listening to one of my hymn CDs that I’d recorded some time back. She explained that whenever she wanted a little private time [you know] to take a bath, talk on the phone, she would put on the hymn CD and for some reason Blade – he just loved sitting there and humming along.
Blade looked out at the congregation and tried to hide himself behind his mommy. But she whispered to him: “Blade, honey would you like to sing your favorite hymn to these nice people?” I watched him squirm, put his finger in his mouth, look away. This kid had autism; he was non-verbal. How could she expect him to sing a verse from a hymn, even if it was his favorite?
Well, Blade’s mother held the microphone under his mouth and then, he took a deep breath, and he began singing. Actually, it was more of a monotone song than a real melody. But there was no mistake about it: Blade was reciting, word for word, “Man of sorrows! What a name for the Son of God who came; ruined sinners to reclaim, Hallelujah, what a Savior!” I was so shocked, and so was everyone else in the congregation. But we were really stunned when this child went on to sing, recite all five verses! All of us were in tears. Not only because this child memorized an entire hymn, but because the words seemed so much more powerful coming from a five-year-old – and a very weak five-year-old at that, with many disabilities.
Blade could not have chosen a better hymn to sing. That’s because this hymn, “Man of Sorrows” is all about Jesus identifying with us in our weakness and “disabilities.” The Bible calls Jesus the Man of Sorrows acquainted with our grief.
Isn’t it amazing how when we are needy and weak, God delights in showcasing himself not only to us, but through us? The numbers of children, like Blade, diagnosed on the autism spectrum; those numbers are on the rise, we’re seeing more and more boys and girls with autism coming to our Family Retreats. But as Blade’s family will tell you, God’s Spirit bears witness with the spirits of even children with severe autism. Just like 1 Corinthians 2: God speaks to us, “… not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”
SHAUNA: And friend, this is National Autism Awareness Month, and we’ve posted a special video for you to see on our radio page today at joniradio.org. It’s called Autism and the Church: Why Autism Matters, and we can’t wait for you to see it! It’s waiting for you there at joniradio.org!
© Joni and Friends