As we were driving down a little two-lane highway in Kansas, up ahead I thought I saw smoke, maybe dust, and brake lights. I cautioned my husband who was driving. It was 8:30 p.m., and no lights on this remote roadway. As we came to a stop, a woman came running back to her vehicle and grabbed a yellow blanket. We were the third car back, and I knew someone must be hurt. We got out of our car, and I grabbed a water bottle, my husband a jacket. As we approached, there was a man lying in the middle of the road, dressed totally in black, with a helmet on. A motorcycle lay in the ditch, 40 feet away. He was unmoving, but speaking. We spoke to the woman, and she said her son was calling for help. Two other motorcyclists were milling about, apparently with him but in shock. We talked to him, and offered him a drink of water. My husband held the water bottle to the side of his face and gave him a tiny drink. He held his hand and asked his name. We talked to him and he said he was married, "27 wonderful years." The other woman said she was married 28, and I replied that I was 29 - we must be close to the same age! The man was embarrassed. The road was under construction. His bike had gone up on the ledge between the two lanes, then back down, then when attempting to get back in his lane up on the ledge, he had lost control. The bike went off and he rolled 4-5 times. I saw no visible bleeding but he was wearing leather and a helmet, thank goodness. My husband guessed that his leg was broken. The fact that he was in the middle of the road and did not get hit by another vehicle in either lane was a miracle to me on this dark two-lane highway! The policeman arrived and quickly assessed he needed an ambulance. As soon as we saw the ambulance approaching, we decided to get out of the way. I urged my husband to pray with Mark. I was remembering a time 7 years ago that my husband had been crushed by a tree while doing hurricane relief work in Jasper, Texas. While they were waiting for the ambulance, a black man came over from across the street because he could tell something was wrong. He prayed an urgent prayer for him right then. It was very memorable to all who were there. I wanted Mark to be encouraged and lifted up. I knew he was coherent enough and his pain was numb at the moment, and he would appreciate it, if he was a believer or not. We asked him then if we could pray for him and he agreed. We knelt down beside him on the road and my husband prayed a simple prayer for Mark.
A scary moment, but a faith builder for me personally and hopefully one for our son who was with us. I'm still praying for Mark and asking God to use those moments to build his faith too.
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."(James 5:13-16)
