“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
This week our nation is remembering the year 2001, the year of 9/11. I’m sure you’ll hear people asking, “Where were you when you heard the news?” Though much smaller in scope, there was another event that happened in 2001 that changed me forever. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news: My 10-year-old daughter had been injured at a camp in Missouri.
I was at the lake with a friend, coming in from a hot morning on the dock, when my husband Bob called to tell me about the accident. At that very moment Merrill Lee was being wheeled into an operating room four states away. A team of surgeons had been gathered to perform an operation that would last for the next four hours. Bob was flying out to be with her that afternoon. I insisted that he not leave without me.
The report was shocking, numbing. I put my emotions on hold, knowing I had to get to my child. I yelled for my friend, “Debby, can you pull some things together for me while I get a quick shower?” She came running and was horrified to see me strip naked as I dictated a list of items for my travel bag. I took the fastest shower of my life, grabbed my things, and jumped in the car.
I was facing a two-and-a-half hour drive, and it was a busy Friday afternoon on the road. All I could do was drive and pray that God would allow me to make that flight. I was praising the Lord as I passed Birmingham city limits without a speeding ticket and with a few minutes to spare. However, with only about a mile left to reach the airport, I encountered cars stacked in tight rows ahead of me. I entertained thoughts of abandoning my vehicle on the shoulder of the road. My marathon hadn’t been that long ago; no doubt I could run the rest of the way and still get there. But as I watched the clock and prayed all the more, God made a way through the maze of cars, into the terminal, and onto the airplane. I’m not sure my heartbeat slowed during the short flight to Memphis.
When we arrived at the gate to make our connecting flight into Branson, Bob and I learned that the plane was full. My emotions finally broke as I begged the attendant for a spot, telling her that my little girl was hurt. A sweet woman came forward from the crowd and gave up her seat so that I could go. “God bless you! Thank you!” I said. “You are an answer to prayer!”
Although it seemed the airplane could not fly fast enough, we eventually landed. We ran separately, one to the baggage claim and one to the rental car counter. It was close to midnight once we located the hospital and found the security guard to let us in. We rushed to the elevator, almost knocking down a woman in uniform who was leaving her shift. “Are you Merrill Lee’s parents?” she said. We nodded. “I thought so. I was with her all day today. She is an angel, an absolute angel. Let me show you to her room.”
As we walked, the nurse went on to tell us how amazed she was at Merrill Lee’s peace and composure. The only thing she had asked for was her Bible verse for the day. She was referring to a list of Scripture promises I had posted inside the lid of her trunk, one verse for each day that they would be there. God had put those verses on my heart to pray for both of my kids while they were away at camp. The verse for that day, June 15, 2001, was Isaiah 54:10 — “‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.” There was no doubt that God had fulfilled His promise—His love did not fail, and the peace that He gave was unshakable.
We all learned a valuable lesson by watching Merrill Lee. She saw the situation through the lens of childlike faith. She started with the heartfelt assurance that God loved her and would take good care of her. She wasn’t sure why this accident had happened, but her conviction about the character of God never wavered.
Most of us do exactly the opposite. We draw our conclusions about God based on our circumstances. My view of life used to look like this:
A + B = C (Circumstances)
God’s Word + My Faith = Pleasant Outcome/Results
That perspective worked pretty well for me in the good times. But in this painful and inexplicable situation, that viewpoint would leave me on shaky ground. By watching my 10-year-old, I came to understand that I must begin with a known endpoint, a technique mathematicians call “reverse engineering.” The equation that served Merrill Lee so well is this one:
C (Character of God) = A + B
God is love = His Word is True + Faith
The only outcome that my child expected was God’s unchanging love. God loves me, period. The certainty of that truth kept her (and those around her) on solid ground, even when her world was shaken. Though her story is small in comparison to the tragic events of 9/11, the implications of her perspective are huge. When we invite God’s presence into our situation, He will infuse it with His peace and compassion in proportion to our need.
“And a little child will lead them.”
Isaiah 11:6