AL: Joni, I'm always encouraged to see how many of our listeners really identify with you even though they’re not in a wheelchair!
JONI: I know, that is amazing to me and it makes me feel so good to know that what I'm saying from this wheelchair is hitting home to the hearts of many people who are on their feet. I guess that’s what it means when it says, “We can comfort anyone facing any trial with the comfort we’ve received from God.”
AL: That’s right! And a good case in point is this little note we just received from Sharon Simpson who listens over WBYN, in Boyerton, Pennsylvania. She says, “I just wanted to respond to your daily devotional this morning...what an encouragement it was to know that the Holy Spirit was moving when you drew some parallels between your confinement… and things like being chained to a desk all day… or being tied to a phone or a computer all day. I really identified when you said that people sometimes feel confined to the kitchen sink. You see, we don’t own a dishwasher and I have three small children and am a stay-at-home mom...and lately I've been so discouraged about being confined to the kitchen sink!!! What a silly thing to complain about, huh? But I’ve been encouraged that God has put me there for His purpose... crazy as it may seem to me, but I was refreshed this morning, and I don't think I'll mind doing those dishes AGAIN today! Thanks Joni. I DO pray for you and your ministry. Have a good and Godly day! Thanks again...Sharon.”
JONI: Oh boy, I am so glad that Sharon was able to draw some comfort and a little bit of encouragement knowing that she’s not the only one who struggles with trapped, confined feelings… and I know just know that some of our listening friends must feel those claustrophobic emotions you get when your world seems so small, so limited. I felt that way last year when I was in my bedroom for a couple of months with pneumonia.
And just what is it that breaks the chains of those feelings of confinement? It’s just knowing that God is right there next to you, not only in that bedroom, but at Sharon’s kitchen sink. God is with you at your desk, or in front of your computer. God is in the middle of this paralysis of mine. And I tell you what, the Bible’s not kidding when it says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” If we can only see that God has ordained the time in front of that kitchen sink, or when I have to be in bed; or you at your desk, or in your car, or even you in your wheelchair… if we can only see Him in it, then suddenly the chains disappear. That’s because where the Lord is, there is freedom. There is the freedom of knowing He’s in charge, He has planned it for this time, He has a purpose in it, He is conforming your character through it, and He wants to receive glory from your response to it. So friend remember, and Sharon, this includes you, where the kitchen sink is, there is Jesus… and where Jesus is, there is freedom!
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends