AGOURA HILLS, CA “What good is it if we only trust the Lord when we understand His ways? That only guarantees a life filled with doubts” – Joni Eareckson Tada

Joni Eareckson Tada has been an inspiration to millions of Christians around the world for over 51 years. At the age of 17, Joni suffered a diving accident that left her a quadriplegic. Not exactly the dream of a healthy, 17-year-old girl with a bright future ahead of her.

During her days following the accident, the Lord began a special work in Joni that would take her life into a realm of ministry beyond her wildest imagination. One in which the Lord would continually show Himself as the orchestrator of her life. One in which He would be able to use here in ways that He could not have had she not had the “accident.”

The Joni and Friends organization shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the globe, not in spite of her paralysis, but because of it and her understanding that our God is perfect and is in absolute control of all our circumstances.

The Joni and Friends ministry includes the popular Christian radio program in which she and others share encouragement and Biblical insights. But it goes far beyond that.

Joni and Friends has a television ministry that emphasizes God’s goodness in a world that is filled with pain and shattered by personal suffering.

Wheels for the World provides wheelchairs for victims of paralysis in numerous countries around the globe through the ministry’s Harvest Project.

The ministry offers several avenues for training, awareness, resources, and encouragement to local churches in America and around the world to enable and multiply effective ministry to people with disabilities. In addition, Joni and Friends provides special retreats for families who live with disability both here and abroad.

Joni was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2010. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy and was declared cancer-free in 2015.

Now her doctors have discovered a malignant tumor in a nodule near the site of the original cancer. She is scheduled to undergo surgery on November 26^th.

Joni and Friends COO, Doug Mazza, has asked Christians to pray specifically that,

• God will be glorified through this situation. Pray that He will be trusted, extolled and exalted.
• This new health challenge will become a platform for showcasing His grace and the giving of the Gospel.
• That Joni’s surgeon shows great skill in surgery. After all, we want him to ‘get it all!’

Interestingly, Joni rarely focuses on her own condition. Rather, she looks at those whom her ministry serves and reflects that,

I am inspired by the many valiant people with disabilities and their families whom we serve every day at Joni and Friends; they are people who constantly persevere through personal crises. They do not doubt God’s glorious purposes for their lives, why should I?

As we pray together for Joni, let us remember, may we also examine ourselves to ensure that we see, as she does, that,

Jesus is ecstasy beyond compare, and if new hardships draw us closer to Him, I’m more than content with it.

To read more news on Joni and Friends on Missions Box, go here.