A Prison Sentence

             Hi, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and I have to confess that when I woke up this morning I had to force myself to sing this song. But I invite you to sing along with me now, would you?

When we walk with the Lord, in the light of His word

What a glory He sheds on our way.

While we do His good will, He abides with us still

And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's not other way

To be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.

                Earlier this week I told you that I don't want to live a life of contradictions -- I don't want to trust God one moment and then disobey him with self pity and resentment the next. I think maybe you probably struggle with that, too, right? Well, I sure did this morning...

                It was around 6 AM and I had an hour and a half to lie in my bed before my girlfriends were due to come and help me get up in my wheelchair. The reason I woke up so early was the pain in my hip was driving me crazy -- I so wanted to trust the Lord that I could, with his grace, make it to 7:30 AM without having to wake Ken, my husband, to turn me. But -- man -- the pain was just killing me (I wish I could explain how it is that me, a quadriplegic, struggles with pain... but you'll just have to trust me, friend, I do).

                Well, I had to believe that God was going to come to my aid, and so I took a deep breath, shut my eyes, and asked the Lord to help me drift back to sleep as I sang "Trust and Obey." And so right before I started singing very quietly so as to not wake Ken, I prayed, Lord Jesus, you have brought me through the night and to this place in the early morning. The pain is great but your grace is greater still and I'm going to believe that you will help me bear up under the pain for the next hour or so until my friends arrive,  and just to reinforce the special petition, I want to sing, "Trust and Obey". And so I did. And that's the last thing I remembered until I heard a gentle knock at the bedroom door. I glanced at the clock and, indeed, I breathed a sigh of relief -- my friend had arrived to get me dressed and up and ready for the day and it was 7:30 AM.

                Someone once wrote that "acute pain is a night in jail, but chronic pain is a long-term prison sentence without parole." Boy, is that true!  And I am thinking that perhaps you know someone who is struggling with chronic pain. Well, I want to help you to be able to effectively minister to that friend. I want to help you to know what to say and what to do. That's why I want you to have a copy of a very wonderful little booklet called Not By Sight. It's your personal guide to ministering to believers living with pain.  It's a 78-page booklet and it's yours free by simply contacting me at joniandfriendsradio.org or you can call 888-522-5664.  I want you to know what to do and say around people in pain.  This book, a guide to Christians living with pain, will serve as a wonderful teaching tool to you, I know it will!  I read it; I love it, so until next time, make sure you stop by and visit me at joniandfriendsradio.org and pick up your free copy of Not By Sight.  Let me share that wonderful phrase again that I said earlier, it's pretty awesome: Acute pain is a night in jail, but chronic pain is a long term prison sentence without parole.  Won't you jot that down and pass it along to your friend who is in pain.  They'll know that you really understand - and pray for them as well.  

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