2021 Daily Devotion - Day 396

-
When I yelled, “Hit it!” I had no idea what was to follow. The conditions on Lake Mead were perfect. The water was like glass; not even a ripple. With my rope secured at the tower and my wakeboard bindings strapped to my feet, I went for it! The first couple passes felt great! I cleared the wake with no problem. But soon thereafter, it was time to go big! The driver turned up the music, changed the trim settings on the boat, did a figure eight, and created the biggest wake I had ever seen. I went wide and stuck the rail of my wakeboard on heal-side. As I shot toward the boat, I launched into the air!

I had never caught so much air, nor had I ever had such an epic crash! The exuberant cheers subsided when those in the boat realized I was unable to move. With the help of the medics, I was carefully placed into the helicopter and airlifted to the Trauma Center in Las Vegas. The loss of movement in my legs terrified me! Was I paralyzed? Would I ever walk again? Not knowing, strapped down, unable to move, I was terrified. All night long I cried out to the Lord.

Following many hours and numerous tests, I learned that the paralysis I was experiencing was temporary and was the result of swelling around my spinal cord. As the swelling eventually went away, I regained full movement and have experienced a complete recovery.

In our times of desperation, we can find comfort in knowing God hears our cries and answers our prayers. May we find peace in knowing God will never leave us or forsake us; that He’s right there with us – even in Las Vegas.

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Pray with me:
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us. Thank You for being there for us. Help us, during times of fear and difficulty, to be strong and courageous. Give us strength that we may be a blessing to those who are also facing difficulties in their lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Pastor Jim Reynen
Pastor of Family & Student Ministries
Mount of Olives Church
Tags:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2021 Daily Devotion - Day 369

-
Palm Sunday Matthew 21:1-11NRSV When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying, “Tell the daughter of Zion, look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes i...
More »

2020 Daily Devotion - Day 81

-
John 15:15 NRS I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. From an article on some of the great hymns of the church, we learn about the hymn, “What a Friend we have in Jesus”:   In 1844 a young Irishman, Joseph Scriven, had completed his college education and returned home to marry his sweetheart. As he was traveling to meet her on the day before the planned wedding, he came upon a horrible scene—his beautiful fiancée tragically lying under the water in a creek bed after falling off her horse. Later, Scriven moved to Canada and eventually fell in love again, only to experience devastation once more when she became ill and died just weeks before their marriage. For the second time, this humble Christian felt the loss of the woman he loved. The following year, he wrote a poem to his mother in Ireland that desc...
More »

2020 Daily Devotion - Day 120

-
"An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?" Many people often look at the negative side of life. President Reagan used to say that when people do this, it’s as if when you “give them a silver lining, they will find a cloud”. Of course, he was using the old saying “in every cloud, there is a silver lining” and reversing it to make a point. It is very important to be a “glass half full” kind of person. Looking for and expecting good things helps us to stay hope-filled. So, on this new day, be a positive person. Look for the good in everything. Look for hope in everything. Refuse to let yourselves dwell on the negative. Speak to others in inspirational ways, and you will find that your days will be better. Ephesians 4:29 ESV Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Pray with Me: Heavenly Father, so many peop...
More »