Finding Strength in COVID
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and in studio today, I’ve got my husband!
KEN: Hi, Joni.
JONI: Isn’t it good to be here together?
KEN: Oh, fantastic.
JONI: After so long, ’cause of COVID, we really had to take breaks.
KEN: Yep, yep. Being at home’s not bad, but being at home because you have to stay home because of the COVID – boy.
JONI: That’s right. But now we get a chance to do ministry. And, Ken, I’m going to take this opportunity to publicly say something. I mean, you really got me through COVID, and I just wanted you to come in today to just, I don’t know, honor you. Because one of my Bible verses that sustained me was 2 Timothy 4:17 where it says, “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength.” Well, that was you. You stood by me, and you gave me such, such strength.
KEN: Well, I think Jesus gave us both strength, and, you know, it was kind of neat in some ways, because we were quarantined, we had the opportunity to do some things that we would not have done. But we were watching on YouTube “In Pursuit of Paul.” It was a YouTube series by Dr. Con Campbell, a professor, and man, it just gave us some insight about Paul and who this man really was and what he stood for.
JONI: And what he went through when he went on his missionary journeys. The camera followed Dr. Campbell all throughout Asia Minor and Greece, and it was just a wonderful way for us to strengthen each other in the Lord, right?
KEN: Absolutely. You know, I think the other thing that really was helpful during our time in quarantine – having friends made all the difference.
JONI: Yes, yes.
KEN: You know, and it’s like Ecclesiastes 4:10 says: “If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” And we weren’t in trouble, because not only did we have Jesus Christ as our center, but we also had wonderful Christian brothers and sisters who came and helped.
JONI: Well, yes, because you had to go to ER when you got COVID, and I was left alone. And I had to line up people to sit on our front porch to just be there – I mean, I couldn’t let them come in the house ’cause I had COVID. You had COVID, you were away, so there were about six people who rotated, took turns, two hours each. And from 10:30 in the morning ’til what, about quarter to 8 when you finally got home from ER? Oh, my goodness, there they were sitting on our front porch. And you know, I thought of Ecclesiastes 4 because I wasn’t alone, and I wasn’t in real trouble, because others reached out and helped. And it made all the difference. Something else kept us strong during COVID, and that was reading through the Bible every day. It really kept our faith strong, didn’t it?
KEN: Oh, yeah. I mean, you’re absolutely right, Joni. But, you know, you don’t need COVID to need the Bible for strength on a daily basis.
JONI: That’s right. And the words of Christ are life to our souls, and we certainly sensed that, didn’t we?
KEN: Absolutely.
JONI: Hey, one more Bible verse I want to share with our friends. This was also a verse that God gave me when I came through COVID, and I thought it was a death sentence, but thankfully, it wasn’t. I turned to Psalm 116: “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. He turned his ear to me, [and I’m going to] call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me. [Right, Ken? I thought this could be my death sentence.] [And] I was overcome by distress…but then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘Lord, save me!’ [KEN: Yeah, I heard you say that. JONI: That’s right.] The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion…when I was brought low, he saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord [say this with me, Ken] has been good to you.”
JONI: Oh, he’s been good to both of us.
KEN: Absolutely.
JONI: And friend, I hope you can say the same, whether or not you’ve gone through COVID. Let the Lord stand by you and give you strength. That’s your verse today from 2 Timothy 4:17.
© Joni and Friends
