Inspirational Quotes by Joni Eareckson Tada
“not only can you trust God to write your story; you can also be sure that, in the end, He will right your story!”
“Twenty Complaints Laments contain various complaints expressing struggle, questions, outrage, and frustration. The following passages are examples of the unique complaints found in the psalms of lament: Why? Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? (Ps. 10:1) Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? (Ps. 10:13) My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? (Ps. 22:1) I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” (Ps. 42:9) For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? (Ps. 43:2) Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! (Ps. 44:23) O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? (Ps. 74:1) Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the fold of your garment and destroy them! (Ps. 74:11) Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit? (Ps. 80:12) O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me? (Ps. 88:14) How? O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me. (Ps. 3:1) How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! (Ps. 35:17) How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? (Ps. 74:10) Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name. (Ps. 74:18) Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! (Ps. 74:22) O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? (Ps. 80:4) How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? (Ps. 89:46) Return, O Lord! How long? Have pity on your servants! (Ps. 90:13) O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? (Ps. 94:3) How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (Ps. 137:4)”
“I don’t think there is ever a place to be angry with God. However, I do think it’s permissible to ask pain-filled questions as long as you’re coming in humility”
“here are a few steps in learning how to complain the right way: Come Humble”
“There is something helpful and right about regularly laying out the specifics of our pain. In Psalm 10, we see this clearly.”
“Our emotional struggles reflect far more than our battle with people and events; they reveal our deepest questions about God. But how do we make the connection from the horizontal circumstances that provoke our emotions to the vertical conditions they point to? In this chapter, we will explore three fundamental types of relational movement (against, away, and toward) that provoke our emotions. This context helps clarify how our responses in human relationships are rooted in the nature of our relationship with God. As we understand what situationally provokes our emotions, we will open the door to recognizing the deeper struggles involved in all emotion.”
“Finding an explanation or a quick solution for grief, while an admirable goal, can circumvent the opportunity afforded in lament—to give a person permission to wrestle with sorrow instead of rushing to end it. Walking through sorrow without understanding and embracing the God-given song of lament can stunt the grieving process.”
“The psalms are given to us as a divine pedagogy for our affections—God’s way of reshaping our desires and perceptions so that they learn to lament in the right things and take joy in the right things.”
“It is in the dark struggles with God that we are surprised by His response to our anger and fear. What we receive from Him during our difficult battle is not what we expect. We assume He wants order, conformity—obedient children. Instead, we find that He wants our passionate involvement and utter awe in the mystery of His glorious character.”
“Rather than trying to leverage the church’s political capital to win the culture wars, we ought to take a close look in the mirror. Spiritual leaders should walk alongside their people and model self-examination and repentance. Exile provides an opportunity for God’s people to lament spiritual drift, not only of a culture but also of the church.”
“Instead, the Psalms invite us to question God. But they do this in the context of worship—they were the hymnal used in public worship. God invites us to bring before Him our rage, doubt, and terror—but He intends for us to do so as part of worship. This is the kind of emotional struggle we must engage in if we are to fathom the nature of God’s heart for us.”
“Waiting is not a waste. The second truth has become a personal favorite of mine over the last ten years because waiting for anything feels like a complete waste of time. Waiting for God to move or answer seems even worse. Lamentations 3:25–27 shows us the value of living in the space between suffering and restoration. Lament serves us well as we mourn and wait.”
“Surely there is no higher plane for prayer than intercession. What could be more important than participating in the redemption of another being through prayer? True, our prayer does not save the sinner, but somehow it serves to prepare his heart for the moment word reaches him of Christ’s love. Search for a person who claims to have found Christ apart from someone else’s prayer, and your search may go on forever.”
“Emotion links our internal and external worlds. To be aware of what we feel can open us to questions we would rather ignore. For many of us, that is precisely why it is easier not to feel. But a failure to feel leaves us barren and distant from God and others.”
topics: emotions
“This is where biblical lament is transformative. It not only gives voice to the pain you feel but also anchors your heart to truths you believe—or are trying to believe when dark clouds linger.”
Group of Brands
© 2026 Bibleportal.com All rights reserved.
Joni Eareckson Tada, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Joni and Friends, is an international advocate for people with disabilities.
A diving accident in 1967 left Joni Eareckson, then 17, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, unable to use her hands. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations.
During her rehabilitation, Joni spent long months learning how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her high-detail fine art paintings and prints are sought-after and collected.
Her best-selling autobiography "Joni" and the feature film of the same name have been translated into many languages, introducing her to people around the world. She also has visited more than 45 countries.
She has served on the National Council on Disability and the Disability Advisory Committee to the U.S. State Department.
She is Senior Associate for Disability Concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and serves in an advisory capacity to the American Leprosy Mission, the National Institute on Learning Disabilities, Love and Action and Christian Blind Mission International, as well as on the Board of Reference for the Christian Writers Guild, New Europe Communications and the Christian Medical and Dental Society.
After being the first woman honored by the National Association of Evangelicals as its "Layperson of the Year" in 1986, Joni was named "Churchwoman of the Year" in 1993 by the Religious Heritage Foundation.