By Gavin Boyle
Joni Eareckson Tada explained how even though she is not in control of many things in her life, she always has a way to overcome fear because of the promises of the Lord.
“Let me tell you a secret which has sustained me these many years in my wheelchair. The secret is revealed in 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is what it says. It says, ‘No temptation,’ that is no trial, no test, ‘has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tempted,’ or tested, ‘beyond what you can bear. But when you are, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it,’” Eareckson Tada shared.
“God promises that every temptation, that is every fearful trial or test, every one of those things that comes my way also comes with a way out so that I can endure it,” she continued. “And exactly what is that way out or that way of escaping, as some translations say? Here it is. It is the promises of God. I access God’s power against fear as I make each promise of God my own.”
Though trouble and pain mar Eareckson Tada’s life, she keeps her eyes focused on God and uses the platform He has given her to share His teachings. Whether paralyzed or not, fear is something that everyone faces in their life, yet not many people know how to combat it as well as Eareckson Tada. This is just one of many lessons the Lord has taught her through her condition that she now shares with the world.
“I began to understand God’s idea for good, and that is that I might have courage and that I might prize things like patience and perseverance and endurance and self-control that I might cling to Jesus. I read in 2 Corinthians 1 where Paul says, ‘My brothers, I don’t want you to be uninformed about the troubles we have endured in Asia. We were in far beyond what we could endure and we despaired even of our lives,’” Eareckson Tada previously said when explaining how the Lord has used her pain for good.
“I read that and I thought, yeah that’s me. That’s me. I’m despairing of my life. I don’t like being paralyzed. In the next verse he says, ‘These things happen that we might not rely on ourselves but on God,’” she continued.
Related: How God Turned Joni Eareckson Tada’s Setback into Life’s Greatest Gift
Eareckson Tada has also used her influence to bless the lives of hundreds of thousands of other disabled people through her Joni and Friends foundation. It has, for example, provided over 200,000 wheelchairs to people in need, while also sharing the Gospel.
It is amazing how the Lord can use anyone who is willing to place their trust in Him to impact others, spread His word and bring goodness into the world, even when they come from a place of pain.
Read Next: How Joni Eareckson Tada Sees God Use Tragedy to ‘Produce Something Good’
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