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Pain in the Psalms

September 24, 2024

Jesus is your prescription for pain – whether it’s in your hip, your head, or your heart.

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Speaker 1

Hi, I'm Shauna on Joni Eareckson Tada Sharing Hope and Joni, I know you've learned a thing or two about pain over these decades, haven't you?

Speaker 2

I sure have. And in my long season of dealing with it, I have learned so many lessons from the Lord, even physical ones. I breathe deeply, I stretch often, I eat right, I hydrate regularly, and much more. I tell you, these simple physical disciplines can actually mitigate my pain.

But the most invaluable lessons are the spiritual ones, like when I am in agony and I cannot help but cry out. Sometimes it's a whimper. I'll say, God, where are you? Have you forgotten me? Yes, pain makes even a seasoned believer like myself sometimes think that God's far off. But God has an answer to that. In Psalm 34, verse 18, it says, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

You know, it's not uncommon to feel a sense of abandonment when you're suffering hard and you question the presence of God. But Psalm 34 gives you calm assurance that the Lord is present. He is near in your pain. And to me, that's so comforting. It affirms that God's presence is not contingent on the absence of suffering. Rather, his presence is profoundly felt in the very midst of suffering. And that is such an invaluable lesson.

So let me repeat it one more time. The presence of God is most profoundly felt in the very midst of your pain. So if you do happen to ask, where is God when I hurt? Psalm 34 shows you that your cry does not fall on deaf ears, but that your crushed spirit is being tenderly embraced by a God who draws near when you hurt. Your pain beckons him closer.

And friend, when you sense his nearness and summon him further into your wounded heart, this is where you're transformed. In the darkest moments of suffering, we have a chance to connect with the Divine, and encounters like that make us different people. You know, this is probably the most invaluable lesson I've learned from my pain. It's what God has taught me. In my worst of times, I am being transformed.

That is, I am being sanctified by the Word in Psalm 34, and the Holy Spirit alters me for the better. I am made more like Christ, my suffering Savior, whenever I have a chance to encounter the man of sorrows in my pain. And so I thank God for Psalm 34 and a host of other psalms that have blessed me like that one.

When I agree with what Psalm 34 says and I say to my soul, yes, Joni, the Lord is near. He's not abandoned you. Then I am opening the door for God's deliverance and rescue and salvation. Friend, your pain does not have to crush you. As you courageously look at the stern countenance of your anguish and you enter into it unafraid, deep into its recesses, you will defang pain of its terror.

You'll see that the Lord is in your pain, having transfigured it to become a place of union with Him. Jesus conquered the insidious ways of pain, and because of that, he is your prescription for pain, whether it's in your hip, your head, or your heart. I want you to learn more about managing pain effectively, so visit joniradio.org where I posted a video in which I offer more tips in pain management.

Speaker 1

And friend, be sure to ask for your gift: John Piper's book called *Shaped by God*.

It's a great look at other psalms that can work for you in the midst of pain, and your free copy of Dr. Piper's book is waiting for you at joniradio.org.

We'll see you.

Speaker 2

Next time with more lessons about suffering. Well, with pain.

Featured Offer

Scarf – Fishing on the Lake

This elegant silk scarf features watercolor artwork by Joni Eareckson Tada, which was inspired by a misty morning with her husband Ken fishing on a lake in the Sierra Mountains. The idyllic scene reminded Joni of God’s words in Isaiah 30: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.”

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About Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope is a broadcast ministry of Joni and Friends committed to bringing the Gospel and practical help to people impacted by disability around the world. Joni and Friends has been advancing disability ministry for over 40 years. Their mission to glorify God, communicate the Gospel and mobilize the global church to evangelize, disciple and serve people living with disability answers the call found in Luke 14 to “bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame… so that my house will be full.”

About Joni Eareckson Tada

Paralyzed as the result of a diving accident at age 17, Joni Eareckson Tada envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. As the Founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, she is known worldwide as an author, speaker, disability rights advocate and radio personality. Her 10,000 radio programs are broadcast across the country and around the world, inspiring listeners to realize that there is hope in every hardship.
Joni Eareckson Tada is an esteemed Christian stateswoman and respected global leader in disability advocacy. Although a 1967 diving accident left her a quadriplegic, she emerged from rehabilitation with a determination to help others with similar disabilities. Mrs. Tada serves as CEO of Joni and Friends, a Christian organization which provides programs and services for thousands of special-needs families around the world. President Reagan appointed Mrs. Tada to the National Council on Disability, then reappointed by President George H.W. Bush. During her tenure, the ADA was passed and signed into law. Mrs. Tada served as advisor to Condoleezza Rice on the Disability Advisory Committee to the U.S. State Department. She served as Senior Associate for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. The Colson Center on Christian Worldview awarded Joni Tada its prestigious William Wilberforce Award, and she was also inducted into
Indiana Wesleyan University’s Society of World Changers. 
Joni Eareckson Tada has been awarded several honorary degrees, including Doctor of Humanities from Gordon College and Doctor of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. She is an effective communicator, sharing her inspirational message in books, through artwork, radio, and other media. Joni Tada served as General Editor of the Beyond Suffering Bible, a special edition published by Tyndale for people affected by disability. Joni and her husband Ken were married in 1982 and reside in Calabasas, California.

Contact Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope with Joni Eareckson Tada

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Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope
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Telephone
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