God declares to us that he has no intention of harming us but wants to give us hope and a future as we share his good news with others.
SHAUNA: Hi, this is Shauna, on Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. And even though it might thousands of years old, God’s Word is still so powerful today.
JONI: Well, that’s so true, Shauna. And today I’m thinking of a very old verse Jeremiah 29:11.
I’m sure you know it well. And our friends listening, do too. It might be on their screensavers. It might be on your iPhone wallpaper, and it says, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” You know, that was one of the first verses somebody gave me after my accident. And I loved it. I even memorized it back then. But I had no idea what God’s plans were for me. Plans to prosper me and give me a hope-filled future? Me, in a wheelchair? Most people would say that I had been harmed by God. Not helped. Well, one day, when I was back at the rehabilitation center for a checkup, I recognized a paraplegic guy sitting by the elevator in his wheelchair. I knew him from when I was still in rehab myself, and that had been a few years ago. I smiled and greeted him, but he only shrugged his shoulders in reply. Sitting there by the elevator and smoking his cigarette, he was a picture of hopelessness and despair. It was as though he was trying to disappear. And that man’s response stunned me to the core.
It was because I had been in a similar position when I was back in rehab. I didn’t smoke, but I did sit by that same elevator. I was as despairing as that man, but I guess I did a better job of hiding my hopelessness. On the outside I wore a smile, but on the inside, I was so hollow and empty and depressed. Yet now, I wasn’t that person anymore. I had found hope. I had found Christ.
When I finished my medical checkup that day and left the rehab center, I kept thinking about that paraplegic by the elevator. And right then and there, I saw it all crystal-clear. The difference that Christ can make in the life of someone who has been hit hard by disability. I wondered back then if perhaps God intended to use my paralysis to help other people like this man – other people like me – find hope in Jesus Christ. Perhaps this was God’s plan! A plan not only to prosper me, but others who might discover their own hope-filled future through my story. Could this be why God had me memorize Jeremiah 29:11? When I had suffered my diving accident? It was never God’s intention to harm me. He allowed my accident because his awesome plan included using my wheelchair to win other hurting people to the side of Jesus Christ. That is his hope-filled plan for anyone who suffers: that they might be the platform from which the gospel goes forth.
And so, I have to ask, are you sure of God’s plan for you? Especially if you are dealing with a chronic condition? Well, I’ve written a mini book called Joni’s Story and if you are struggling with God’s plan for your life, I would love to send you a copy. Or perhaps you know a student who is wondering about his future. Or a neighbor who constantly seems to be in and out of the hospital. This little booklet, Joni’s Story describes how God uses the pain in our lives [the difficult and uncomfortable places], uses hard things [like a wheelchair] to shape a plan that is not only fulfilling and prosperous to your soul, but filled with hope. So, Shauna, tell our friends how they can get a copy of Joni’s Story.
SHAUNA: Just go to joniradio.org and ask for your copy of Joni’s Story today. Because God declares to us that he has no intention of harming us. He wants to give us hope and a future as we share his good news with others. Come visit us today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends