Our Secret Weapon
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada talking to you from the house of prayer.
Well, it’s not just any house, it’s my house. You may know that because of my quadriplegia and all my vulnerabilities, I have to remain sequestered, even though most states have loosened up with their shelter-in-place orders. At first, it was like, “Aw, come on, no, really?! I’ve got isolation? More of it?!” Well, that only lasted a minute, because I know it’s all from the hand of the Lord. And so, I decided that my house should become a house of prayer during the extended isolation for me.
I mean, look at Paul and Silas when they were in Philippi, okay? I mean, perhaps they were first thrown into jail and thinking, “Aw, come on, no, really?!” But at midnight chained to the wall of their prison cell, they are doing three things: they are singing praises to God, they are praying, and they are reaching out to the jailor and their fellow prisoners. While they “sheltered in place” in that jail cell, they made it a house of prayer. And so, even though Ken and I cannot get out into the world right now, we are partnering with the Holy Spirit in shaking up the world through our praise and intercession. We’re doing battle on behalf of people we know who are not saved; we’re praying for the thousands of special needs families we’re still serving right now at Joni and Friends. Yep, even though we’ve had to postpone our spring Family Retreats, we’re holding what we’re calling companion Family Retreats over Zoom and helping these moms and dads and kids with vulnerabilities – we’re helping them stay connected and providing encouragement in Christ.
So, the Tada household is a house of prayer. And to encourage you in your prayer efforts during this strange new season, let me share with you this wonderful poem by Grace Crowell from the book “Apples of Gold.” She writes this:
More powerful than any weapon known,
Than bombs or tanks or guns or flame, far-thrown,
Is the secret weapon loosed upon the air
And designated by the brief word, Prayer.
A secret weapon, its component parts
Known only by the Maker of all hearts
That uses it with deft consummate skill
Of daily practice. Prayer that does not kill,
But succors lives of enemy and friend
For some high, glorious, eternal end;
Prayer that rises, and the answer speeds
Swifter than light to meet crying needs;
Prayer loosed, and at its sudden swift release,
The anxious one has found a long-sought peace.
Oh, often battles have been won by these
Bright secret weapons—men upon their knees
Have brought strange victories to pass, have stayed.
The onward tide of battle as they prayed.
God, God, today, may all men of all lands
Use oftener this weapon in their hands!
Friend, whether it’s prayer related to this new normal after coronavirus, or for your season of difficulty – perhaps finding a job – make your house a house of prayer. Ken and I join you doing that from our home today. And let us know your prayer request. Do you have a friend, a family member still looking for a job? Are you struggling in this recovering economy? Let us pray for you at joniradio.org. Again that’s joniradio.org.
Oh, and one more thing – I want to send you a copy of our Joni and Friends newsletter. So just go to joniradio.org. God bless you today, and thanks for listening to Joni and Friends.
