Foreword
Foreword
For centuries we’ve heard that the “blood of martyrs is the seed of the church,” and the blood of Jim Elliot certainly overflowed the ink wells into which Elisabeth dipped her pen. She gave us invigorating martyr-words that inspired generations of courageous missionaries to take the gospel into foreboding jungles, deserts, and cities great and small. She also gave those same words to inspire us. Especially when suffering hit us broadside.
I was first introduced to Elisabeth Elliot in 1965 when, in high school, I read her book Through Gates of Splendor. I had no idea that right after graduation and a diving accident, I would enter those dark valleys about which Elisabeth wrote. I then met her years later in 1976 when we were both speakers at a conference in Canada. I was only twenty-six with less than a decade under my belt as a quadriplegic, and I could hardly believe I was sharing the same plenary platform with this saint of the age.
One evening, she came to my hotel room. As Elisabeth sat on the edge of my bed, we opened our hearts and shared how God had remained so faithful to us through so much suffering. We agreed that no one participates in God’s joy without first tasting the afflictions of His Son. And before she left, she smiled and said, “Suffering is never for nothing, Joni.” It was so Elisabethan, and I thought I understood what she meant. After all, nine years of quadriplegia had made me take seriously the lordship of Christ in my life, refining my faith, and giving me a deeper interest in prayer and the Word.
Two years later, I even wrote about these things in a book. I was pleased with my list of the thirty-five good biblical reasons as to why God allows affliction and what you can learn from it! I asked Elisabeth if she would offer an endorsement, which she did. But in her cover letter, she confessed that although the book was very satisfactory, it was a bit technical. Her comment crushed me. It took a few more years of quadriplegia, and the encroachment of chronic pain to help me see there was more—much more—to suffering than learning its theological background and benefits.
Elisabeth Elliot knew that true maturity, joy, and contentment has less to do with a mechanistic assessment of God’s plan, and more to do with being pushed and, at times shoved, against the breast of your Savior. Not a tidy, orderly list, but an earnest grappling with the angel of the Lord. When affliction decimates you, then you understand Elisabeth’s doctrine: The Bible’s answers are never to be separated from the God of the Bible. That rich truth then guided me through more than fifty years of paralysis, pain, and cancer.
We are invigorated by Elisabeth’s no-nonsense, go-out-and-die way of living the Christian life. She made us see that we are on a fierce battlefield upon which the mightiest forces of the universe converge in warfare. And we happily rise to that challenge, totally energized by this remarkable woman’s exalted vision for the church. Her life and writings are food and drink to those whom God places upon altars of affliction.
And now with Suffering Is Never for Nothing, we have another collection of fresh, insightful writings from which to be nourished. Thankfully, although our friend is now in heaven, more of her material is now available to spur us on in the battle. The book you hold in your hands is a wonderful new portfolio of Elisabeth’s ponderings, and as you peruse each page, imagine Elisabeth looking over your shoulder from the grandstands of heaven, encouraging you to embrace the Lord Jesus in your afflictions.
Let our friend show you how suffering is never for nothing. Linger long on this woman’s sage wisdom, for there are epiphanies yet to dawn on your horizon, showing you even brighter excellencies of Jesus and more astounding beauties of His gospel. Let the timeless truths in this brand new book spur you on. Take to heart her words and one day when together we pass through heaven’s gates, they will indeed be splendorous.
Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni and Friends International Disability Center
Spring 2019