Pursue, Overtake, & Recover All
It was the day of Sophia’s blessing ceremony when Savannah fell thirty feet off of a rock climbing wall. That morning we had studied 1 Samuel 30 as our passage of Scripture for the day, and I asked all the children to write down verse eight: “And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.” We prayed this back to the Lord and received His blessing to act on this Scripture during this special day for Sophia, who had just turned 12 years old.
The Rock Climbing Wall
After completing the final preparations for the blessing ceremony, we drove out to the church camp reserved for the special occassion. One of the highlights for the children was the opportunity to climb the rock wall prior to the ceremony.
Someone Fell
Savannah was one of the few children who had climbed to the top and rung the bell earlier. She thought she would take one more turn. Just as I was
getting ready to call everyone together for prayer, I noticed my brother turn around in anguish and say, “Someone just fell from the top!” I
quickly ran over and saw my little Savannah turning green, blue, and then white as she struggled on the ground. Anne arrived soon after and we began
to pray over her as a friend held her head still.
Encourage Yourself in the Lord
The verse we prayed that morning came to mind: “inquire of the Lord…Pursue…overtake…and recover all”! Anne and I agreed in prayer over Savannah, claiming her life for God, and she began to catch her breath. My good friend Todd started to check her body and she seemed to be fine except for a burning sensation in her feet, which she had landed on. At that time I began to notice all the people (about 60) who were crying and trying to comfort one another, concerned about their little friend. Many of them had observed her fall. My son Josiah was at the top of the wall on the other rope as he watched Savannah reach for the bell and at the same time unintentionally disengage her clip on a rock. She fell back 30 feet and hit the ground with her knees coming up to her chest, and then fell back against the floor.
Inquire of the Lord
Savannah was cognizant of all that was happening, and saw her brothers and sisters crying out of concern for her. When the ambulance arrived, the paramedics immediately saw how far she had fallen and began to put her in traction. This frightened the children even more, but Anne and I knew she seemed to be fine except for her feet hurting. Savannah cried and said, “I didn’t want to ruin Sophia’s blessing; I wish she could still have it.” I inquired of the Lord if I should stay or go. I then told her that we would recover all just as we had prayed that morning. She gave me permission to carry on as her mom, my good friend Todd, and my father escorted her to the hospital.
Pursue and Recover All
I then gathered all the families together and let them know about Savannah’s condition and her request that we carry on. It was a time of prayer, a time of answering questions, and comforting one another. We sang some songs to revive our hearts, we cried out to God for Savannah, and we encouraged ourselves in the Lord; so we could pursue God’s blessing for Sophia and recover all that God had intended for that night. Looking back on it, I realize just how important it was to carry on; the people who witnessed the fall (nearly everyone), were traumatized and needed the time in the Lord’s presence to recover. I reassured everyone that my father would call us with the news of Savannah’s condition once they checked her in the emergency room.
A Good Report
We all ate what we could and began the blessing ceremony. Shortly after, my dad called with the good news that Savannah had no broken bones in her neck, back or legs. These are typical breaks that occur when a person falls from such a height and lands on their feet. The doctors marveled at Savannah’s good condition. We all rejoiced at the good news and continued to recover all the blessings of the Lord that He intended for that night.
After the ceremony, many of those attending shared that they were most blessed to observe God’s grace through our response in the moment of crisis. I was thankful for the Lord’s preparation that morning; He had given us a Word to claim in our time of need.
God Gives Us Counsel
I arrived at the hospital to see Savannah and go with her for a final CT scan of her heels. The doctors told us they noticed a small fracture in
each heel; her left heel required surgery. We wondered if we should proceed with the surgery because the only available surgeon was leaving for Africa in a few days and it would need to be done prior to his departure. We had a night to think on it, so Anne and I went to the Scriptures and asked God to give us counsel in the night. “I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons” (Psalm 16:7). We awoke with the thought to search the Scriptures God had given us the day of Savannah’s fall. In the remainder of 1 Samuel 30, we read that David took counsel from an African man in order to recover all.
We found it interesting that we, too, were relying on the counsel of an African man in order to recover all for our daughter Savannah. He had given
us the counsel that she needed a pin in her heel to help it mend properly. We went ahead with the surgery, and Savannah has indeed recovered all and is now walking again. Our family has seen the supernatural protection of God and we are thankful for His mercies that are new every morning.
Posted by Chris Hogan on Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 11:49 AM
