Psalm 23 (ESV)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me
lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my
soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you
are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my
enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and
mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.
Rutgers 23, Army 20 (October 16, 2010)
For Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, it was a routine
play that he had made countless times before. With 5:10 left in the fourth
quarter, LeGrand dashed down the field at New Meadowlands Stadium (now MetLife
Stadium) in pursuit of Army kick returner Malcom Brown. He then made the biggest
mistake of his football career. He lowered his head just before making contact.
The hit was violent—so violent that it broke Brown’s
collarbone. But the first thing everyone noticed was the way LeGrand’s body
stiffened as he fell to the ground. He was paralyzed below the neck and was
struggling to breathe.
LeGrand was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center
where he had emergency surgery and spent the night in the intensive care unit.
He had fractured his C3 and C4 vertebrae. The doctors delivered the devastating
news to LeGrand’s mother. He had broken his neck and would never walk again.
Over the course of the next several days, LeGrand had
visitors that included his Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Ariel. On one occasion,
Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was also there and joined in as they gathered
around his bed and prayed for a miracle. And then his aunt asked LeGrand if she
could read Psalm 23 to him.
“I could barely move my head, so I was nearly immobilized,”
he recalled. “I needed hope during a time of despair. She opened her Bible and
read these centuries-old words, which soothed my troubled soul.”
The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside
quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his
name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear
no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my
enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days
of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
“Those sentences lifted my spirits, especially the part
about walking through the darkest valley,” LeGrand wrote. “That’s where I
was—the darkest valley. It didn’t get any darker, if you asked me. But the
psalmist reminded me that the Lord was with me and his rod and his staff
comforted me.”
The next several weeks were difficult, but eventually
LeGrand was able to breathe without a ventilator and regain some motion in his
shoulders. He has written a book about the experience and continues to inspire
audiences with his courageous testimony of faith. On July 11, 2012, he received
the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYS.
And when his soul is troubled, he returns to that powerful
Old Testament passage from David and is emboldened to hope for the impossible.
“I believe I will walk again. I do,” LeGrand boldly
declared a year after his accident. “When that happens, I already know what I'm
going to do. I'll go to Giants Stadium and find the exact spot in the field
where I went down. I'll lie there for a second. And then I'll get up on my own
power and walk away.”
Dear Lord, we thank You for the encouraging words in the
Bible. We thank You for the comfort that they bring us when we are down. In the
Name of Jesus, Amen.
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