Since reading about the 1967 accident that left Joni Eareckson Tada a quadriplegic, I am amazed at her persistent faithfulness. You’ll have to do a lot of searching to find someone in her condition that radiates the joy in Jesus that she does — even in her suffering.
It has been over fifty years since that tragedy struck her life, yet she continues to exhibit tireless faithfulness. Her example reminds me of the faithfulness spoken of by the prophet Habakkuk.
God’s judgement was just around the corner. The Babylonians were on their way to world domination. So, Habakkuk spoke out, announcing that righteous people would live by faithfulness to God [2.4]. The Hebrew, emunah, in this text, is a word that means, firmness, steadfastness, fidelity, hence, faithfulness.
Life is sometimes painful and filled with difficulties. It just can’t be avoided. But that doesn’t mean we lose hope or dare to live faithfully for God! Our hope stems, in part, because we know that a better place awaits the faithful. The Apostle Paul described it this way: “No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it — What God has arranged for those who love him” [1 Corinthians 2.9 - The MESSAGE Paraphrase].
Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. Habakkuk 2.4
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