Last week I met a guy in a wheelchair; his name was Lloyd. He had been in a car accident seven years ago and, as a result, was left a paraplegic — no use of his legs, but he had use of his hands. It was Lloyd’s first time at a Joni and Friends event, and I could tell just by the expression on his face that something was deeply moving him — just seeing other people more disabled than he; I could tell it helped his heart.
I grabbed a chance to speak with him when the event was over... he shared, “Yep, I’ve been to three healing crusades and, well... this is so much more meaningful. I need to get more involved in stuff like this.” I don’t have to tell you how much his words moved me.
Lloyd and I had a chance to talk about what happens at those healing crusades. I shared that at one time, years ago, I was desperate to get healed. Lloyd asked me, “How did you resolve that?”
I took a deep breath and sat silent for a moment. Then I shared, “Lloyd, I resolved the issue of healing with one simple Bible verse: Psalm 37:4, ‘Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’” Lloyd gave me a funny look. I knew what he was thinking. It would seem that kind of verse would be a guarantee of healing!
“I can read your thoughts, Lloyd,” I said to him. “But let me explain.” And so, for the remaining time we talked, I explained how I embarked on a quest to delight myself in the Lord. “Lloyd,” I explained, “I started reading the Bible more and praying and asking God to reveal Himself, show me His heart, give me His passion for the lost, keep me from temptation, help me to be a better witness... in my pursuit, I just ate God up. I made it my goal to simply delight myself in Him. And not with the purpose of holding back on a couple of desires I’d hoped he would, quick, fulfill once I delighted myself in Him. No, I didn’t center on what God could do for me. Not how He could please me, but how I could please Him. I kept putting my wants and wishes in check and, instead, made certain that my goal was simply to enjoy the Lord being... the Lord! And you’ll never guess what happened!
“God gave me the desires of my heart,” I said. “Thing was, because I had delighted myself in God, He miraculously replaced my little private lists of wants and wishes with a list of His own. His desires became mine. And what are His desires? That the Gospel go forth, that the kingdom be advanced, that the earth be reclaimed as rightfully His, that the lost get saved, that His glories be made known. It suddenly struck me that my wheelchair was the key to seeing all this happen... especially since God’s power always shows up best in weakness. So here I sit... glad that I have not been healed on the outside, but glad that I’ve been healed on the inside... healed from my own self-centered wants and wishes.”
It was then Lloyd’s turn to take a deep breath, be quiet for a moment, look at his wheelchair, and then... smile.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends