When You Need Comforting

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.     – Psalm 94:19

She was born in Maryland. Her father was an Olympian, and the family lived a very active sporting life, riding horses, hiking, tennis, and swimming. When she was 17, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay but misjudged the depth of the water. Her back was fractured by the impact, and she was paralyzed from the shoulders down. Over time, she learned to live with pain, but it has not stopped her from living God’s plan for her life. Joni Eareckson Tada is now an internationally known author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends, a ministry to the “disability community.” 

She has experienced far more of God’s comfort than many believers. She says, “You don’t have to be alone in your hurt! Comfort is yours. Joy is an option. And that’s all been made possible by your Savior. He went without comfort so you might have it. He postponed joy so you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow.” 

Are you hurting? Are your burdens many? Is your heart weighed down? Listen to the testimony of Joni and find God’s comfort for you. Today’s verse says His comforts will cheer your soul. Many in this nation’s military are carrying heavy burdens these days. Pray that they will find the One who can lift those weights from them – the “Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the Darkness, our God.”