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“Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.” (Psalm 42:7, NIV)
On Palm Sunday, a teddy bear of an Irishman displaced those in my pew, wrapped his arms around me and prayed. “Hosanna is the Highest” resonated in the sanctuary, but all I could hear was his prayer and the mention of my name.
This prayer warrior recently returned from a trip to the Holy Land. In many of the historic and holy places he traveled he prayed for me by name. Did he know I woke paralyzed that morning or that I couldn’t walk without assistance? I didn’t
ask.
Like a small child, I sobbed on his chest, heaving at the mention of my name in prayer. I cannot recall it all but I remember hearing “April, I spoke your name for restoration at the, Mount of Beatitudes, the Sea of Galilee, and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The same Christ, who restored Peter, will restore you.”
This valiant warrior lost his beautiful wife to cancer last year. This valiant warrior understands the community of shared suffering. If the Olympics offered a gold medal for perfectly executed hugs and prayer, Redd McIntyre would win.
“When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse everything I know of you, from Jordan depths to Hermon heights, including Mount Mizar. Chaos calls to chaos, to the tune of whitewater rapids. Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers crash and crush me. Then GOD promises to love me all day, sing songs all through the night! My life is God’s prayer.” (Psalm 42:7-8, Message)
I thank God for this man, who leaned in and prayed when it was needed. Even though on Palm Sunday, I suffered in a semi paralyzed state for over 16 hours, God sent a valiant prayer warrior and “It is well with my soul.”
~April Dawn White
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