When You Walk Through The Fire
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and welcome to “Joni and Friends.“
And you really need a friend when you are struggling through – well, how about ovarian cancer. Yikes. So painful, so demanding. And because September is the month when we raise awareness on ovarian cancer, I simply gotta tell you the story of my dear friend, Bobbie Wolgemuth. She was diagnosed many years ago with stage 4 ovarian cancer. It started back in, I think it was 2013; a long and difficult battle. And even though Bobbie is home in heaven now, I gotta tell you her story because even now, years later, I am still talking about her and drawing courage from the way she valiantly fought her cancer. And here’s a reason her example helps me this day.
You see, Bobbie once told me – and I wrote this down years ago; she wrote, “Joni, I’m at a complete peace about dying, but I told my doctor two days ago that one thing I did fear was pain. Well, after I left his office and when I got home and rested, I heard God say to me, ‘Bobbie, why did you tell your doctor that? Haven’t I seen you through pain in years past? Didn’t I see Stephen, the martyr who was stoned to death; did not I see him through his pain as he was being stoned? [How about Daniel and Peter and Paul?]. And did not I see all the martyrs of centuries past who were burned or stoned or thrown to lions; didn’t I see them through their pain? And wasn’t I able to sustain my Son, Jesus, through the pain of his cross? Bobbie, I won’t abandon you; I won’t forget you; I will be with you every step of the way.’”
Can you see why her words inspire me? Man, I want to die like that; I really do. And I deal with chronic pain every day, and I still reflect on her words. Remember, Joni, the many Christians who have gone before you, all of them trusting God through their pain; remember Isaiah 43: “When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God.” Now to be sure, God is not saying that floods and fire will never physically harm you. Yep, your skin will burn, alright. But what he is saying is that your soul will not be burned up; it won’t be swept away; your soul will not be set ablaze and destroyed. God has removed from you the only kind of suffering that can ever harm you, and that is separation from him. This means that all suffering that touched Bobbie’s life – and all suffering that still, even now, touches my life, or your life – all of it is designed by God to make your soul great. All pain and hardship is designed by God to strengthen your soul through the flood of trials and to refine your faith through the fire of your pain.
So, learn a lesson from my friend Bobbie. No, actually, learn the lesson from Stephen. Learn it from Daniel and Peter and the Apostle Paul. And here it is – remember this: There is no pain, no suffering that can ever, ever separate you from the love of God. Friend, if today you are battling cancer, if you are struggling against pain, visit joniradio.org and ask for your free copy of “Don’t Waste Your Cancer” by Dr. John Piper. And while you’re there, let me know how the Joni and Friends team and I can pray for you. Like Dr. Piper says in his booklet, “Cancer does not win if you die; it only wins if you fail to cherish Jesus Christ.” So, learn to cherish Jesus as Bobbie did; learn it at joniradio.org. Again that’s joniradio.org.
And one more thing, we here at Joni and Friends would love to pray for you in your troubles. So, share with us your prayer need today at joniradio.org.
© Joni and Friends
How can we pray for you?
Don’t Waste Your Cancer
How are we as Christians called to respond when cancer invades our lives, whether our own bodies or those of our friends and family? On the eve of his own cancer surgery, John Piper writes with compassion and strength about cancer as an opportunity to glorify God and make much of Jesus. “Don’t Waste Your Cancer” is a hope-giving resource for anyone touched by cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.
Consider Supporting Joni and Friends!
Consider Supporting Joni and Friends!Joni and Friends would not exist without generous donors and volunteers like you! Would you consider supporting us in one of the ways below?
