Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Welcome to Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Our sin has cost us a lot, but aren't you glad that Jesus paid it all? And here's Joni to sing about that very thing.

Guest (Male): (Singing) I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all.” Jesus paid it all; all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain; He washed it white as snow.

Joni Eareckson Tada: That is a favorite hymn to sing. Whenever I wheel up and down the long ramp that winds around our chapel at Joni and Friends International Disability Center—that's right, every morning, every evening, when I wheel up the ramp to my office or when I wheel down it to leave in the afternoon—I always sing a hymn. To me, it just sounds nice echoing in our large lobby. And because so many of my coworkers are in alcoves on the second floor near the ramp, sometimes it’s nice when they chip in with a little faint harmony.

But the other evening, when I was singing this beautiful hymn going down the ramp, suddenly I heard a lot more than just one or two voices. I heard a chorus of voices! And nearing the chapel, I looked up and there, lining the glass railing on the second floor, were about six or seven coworkers leaning over, all singing along with me. And it was so beautiful. It was like one of those flash mobs! I never expected it. And what was more cool was that others getting out of the elevator to go home, they too stopped near the front desk and they sang along with us.

You know, Psalm 134 tells us to lift up your hands and worship the Lord in the sanctuary. Now, our ministry headquarters is no sanctuary, but God owns our building. It's a Christian workplace where you can, without fear, raise your voice in a spontaneous song of praise. Nobody's going to give you an odd look. And if you happen to gather with a couple of people in the hallway to spontaneously pray, nobody's going to think that's strange. It's what happens all the time here at the International Disability Center, and it may account for why our coworkers always vote this ministry as a best Christian workplace every year.

Now, I don't know where you work. It may well not be a Christian organization. It could be your home, which hopefully is Christian, right? Or it could be in a college dorm. You could be standing at your kitchen sink. You could be waiting in line at the grocery store. It could be a bank. It could be the mall, the market—wherever. May I encourage you to hum a hymn or even sing it softly? I know I do that in the elevator. When I wheel into an elevator, there’s sometimes two or three people, and there’s no time to talk about Jesus, right?

But I can hum "Amazing Grace" or even this hymn. People will know it's a Christian song. They see me sitting in a wheelchair, they see me smile, and they can connect the dots. So there you go. Friend, there are people all around you, and some may even be Christians—people who need a refreshing word. So encouragement can be theirs through your song. And no better hymn is there to sing than the wonderful assurance that Jesus has really paid it all.

Guest (Female): Listening friend, I hope you’ll visit joniradio.org today and share today's program with a friend. And we've posted a photo of what our lobby looks like here at the Joni and Friends International Disability Center. Remember, God has granted us so great a salvation, so let’s sing about it!