When life gets overwhelming, God understands your deepest pain and offers comfort that only He can provide. Listen in and hear about the best parent-support group you’ll ever find!
SHAUNA: Welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. And here’s Joni with a heartwarming Bible lesson.
JONI: This lesson starts with my friend, Gloria. Gloria fell into a deep anguish when she learned how serious her daughter’s illness was. Little Laura, it seemed, had already suffered enough from the degenerative nerve disease she’d been born with. But now the doctor’s forecast included more suffering and impending death. Like any mother, Gloria desperately wished that she could take away Laura’s pain and discomfort. She vacillated from sullen times of sorrow to furious outbursts of anger. And Gloria had no problem with the idea of God's sovereignty and His control of her daughter’s illness. If God was sovereign, she knew exactly who to blame! One night, she left her child’s bedside and paused in the hallway, trying to quiet her anger and dry her tears. And she remembers whispering, “God, it’s not right! It’s not right! You’ve never had to watch one of your children die!”
At that point, Gloria clasped her hand over her mouth. The truth hit her. God most certainly did watch His child die—His one and only child. And like any parent, He probably wished He could have taken away His Son’s pain. Yet God endured the pain because God so loved the world. Just like it says in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Gloria’s heavenly Father endured the pain of His Son’s death so that she and her daughter could have life everlasting.
And that fact alone buoyed up Gloria’s demoralized spirit. She could bear the pain of her daughter’s suffering and death because God bore the pain of His Son’s suffering and death. It meant that God’s strength and empathy were tailor-made for her. And He did not only die for her, He lives to give her power and strength to endure what seems to be the unendurable. He even lives to give her daughter that kind of hidden strength! Gloria could rest in the comfort that God was by her side in the most amazing parent support group ever devised! So, friend, if you are a parent watching your child go through a long illness or a painful disability, join the parent-support group designed by the most amazing “parent” [as it were] the most amazing parent of all, God the Father. He’s got more than enough comfort, more than enough encouragement and strength, as well as empathy. He’s got it all for you.
And finally, please remember that there isn't a pain you endure or a disappointment that you face that God has not already overcome. He fully and completely understands your fears and frustrations, your hurt and weakness, and even your anger—just like Gloria’s. So today, join me today in thanking and praising God for loving the world so much that He would give His one and only Son. That is enough to calm any and all hurts. It’s what God’s parent-support group looks like. It’s what it feels like. Just ask Gloria.
SHAUNA: Listening friend, you can find this program and so much more at joniradio.org. Joni’s timeless biblical encouragement will bring you hope, even when you’re facing the kind of grief that Gloria’s facing. Joni’s heart will point you to Jesus and show you how to deal with the heartache life can throw at us. So please visit us at joniradio.org today, especially if you know someone who’s going through a tough season of grief. And then share Joni’s programs with them! And when you visit us, let us know how we can pray for you. We’ll see you soon at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends