Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to “Joni and Friends”.
I have a hard time when I experience more than two weeks straight of hardships with no break. Like most of us, I want my days to be mostly easy and breezy, and to go smoothly. But it’s never like that, is it? Life is mostly a lot of hardship – especially it seems as we get older. Aye, there’s the rub! Why is it we assume, almost insist, that life should be a long line of pleasant easy days with only occasional hardship? Do you think like that?
Well, this is why I thought you’d be encouraged today with this excerpt I read recently from a book written by Eugene Peterson. He says, “This world… is not the kind of world to which we are accustomed. It is not a neat and tidy world in which we are in control – there is mystery everywhere that takes considerable getting used to, and until we do it scares us.
“It is not a predictable cause-and-effect world in which we can plan our careers and secure our futures – there is mystery everywhere that upsets us to no end, except for the occasion when the mystery is in our favor. It is not a dream world in which everything works out according to our adolescent expectations – there is suffering and poverty in this world and abuse at which we cry out in pain and indignation: ‘You can’t let this happen, God!’ For most of us, it takes years and years and years to exchange our dream world for the real world of grace and mercy, sacrifice and love, freedom and joy.
“Virtually everything human is appropriate as material for prayer: reflections and observations, fear and anger, guilt and sin, questions and doubts, needs and desires, praise and gratitude, suffering and death. Prayer is not being nice before God. No – prayer is offering ourselves just as we are.”
That was an excerpt from a book by Eugene Peterson and… to be honest, it merely reflects the hard-hitting reality, doesn’t it. The truth of the words of Jesus: In this world you will have trouble. Ah, but we have a Savior who has overcome the suffering and the death. And this Savior, Jesus, has designed a world of hardship so that we might run to Him, come to him… lean on Him…so that we might press our needs up against Him, require, earnestly long and look for Him. Oh Jesus, help me! If your life was as comfortable as you would want it to be… then you just might not feel your need of Jesus.
Does this scare you just a little bit? If so, let your Savior’s own words in John 16:33 put you at peace, for Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Please write or visit me today at joniandfriends.org. Of course you can always call and talk to one of our team members at 1-818-522-5664. Either way please know I am praying Romans chapter 15 over you where it says: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Spirit.” Here’s hoping I hear from you today.
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