Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and I tell you my friend, David, lives on the edge. He’s a quadriplegic, his wife left him after the car accident, he survives on government benefits, and lives alone in a little apartment downtown. After getting up in the morning, he more or less fends for himself after his part time attendant leaves. Despite all his struggles though, David always orders the public access van on Saturday evening so that he can come to our church for Sunday services.
“Who helps you with dinner?” I asked him once. David explained that he usually powers his wheelchair over to the Pizza Hut down the street. “The Lord always provides someone to help,” he laughed. “Sometimes it’s one of the waiters on break, or a stranger having dinner might offer help.” “I can feed myself,” he said proudly. “I just need someone to place the slice of pizza in the curve of my hand just so. But Joni, I’ll tell you something. All this helps me to depend on the Lord. I mean, Joni, I depend on the Lord.” Wow!
Like flickering candles snuffed in the wind, this man’s hopes had been extinguished one by one. Just try to imagine. Try to place yourself in his shoes: The hope of marriage, gone. The hope of fathering sons and daughters, gone. The hope of rising to the top in a fruitful and engaging career, gone. And all of those incredibly precious little things in life like peeling an apple, fishing, backpacking, shooting a few baskets with the guys, paddling a canoe across a lake, cooking dinner, working out, walking under the stars – all of it gone. All irretrievably out of reach for the rest of his life. I tell you, with Job David could say, “My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart…. Where then is my hope for me?”
Well, David has an answer to that. David has one – just one – answer to that question. Jesus is David’s only hope, literally! David inspires me because he’s not afraid to live on that edge. Somehow he finds light in the darkness and hope in the midst of helplessness. And God has revealed to him the preciousness of Isaiah 45:3 where the Lord promises, “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places so that you may know I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” Wow! Out there on the frayed and tattered edge of life, David has found a rich treasure and that is the Lord Jesus himself. Oh, how wealthy are the people who need God desperately; whose treasure in the darkness is a deep knowledge of the Savior.
And, friend, that’s why David is my hero. Really! I just wish you could meet this guy – although I can say I’ve posted a wonderful photograph of us together on my web page at joniandfriendsradio.org, and I’d love for you to drop by and just be inspired by this guy’s incredible smile. Plus, when I say David is my hero, you can understand why by taking a minute to click on a brief video that showcases what people like David go through each and every day. And finally, I want you to grab hold of some of those treasures of darkness talked about in Isaiah 45. I’ve listed them in a little booklet I’ve entitled Bodybuilding which you can also pick up during your visit to joniandfriendsradio.org. Or if you want that booklet you can call 1-888-522-5664. So if you have a minute, stop by today and be inspired. See why David and others like him are my heroes! Let me mention that web page again. It’s joniandfriendsradio.org, and thank you for even making it a bookmark.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends