THE POWER OF PRAYER

When I heard the first shot, I assumed it was a nearby tractor backfiring. By the third shot, I was down. I started to crawl through the infield dirt to get away. But I couldn’t make it far. The bullet had struck me in the hip, shattering bones and piercing internal organs.

What should have been a fun Congressional baseball practice with my colleagues turned into a shoot-out between the United States Capitol Police and a gunman. Yet, even in the midst of the chaos and sounds of gunfire, I felt a sense of peace that I was in God’s hands.

I started praying. I prayed my ten-year-old daughter would not have to walk down the aisle at her future wedding alone. I prayed I would be reunited with my family. And, I prayed the Capitol Police would be able to stop this man from hurting anyone else.

Throughout the ordeal and the weeks that followed, I was aware of God’s presence and the miracles He performed. Miracles like the Capitol Police being on site. If these heroes had not been there, the rest of our baseball team would have been sitting ducks. It was by the grace of God that it didn’t turn into a massacre.

I was unconscious for several days, hovering between life and death. I spent weeks in the hospital undergoing surgeries. But I truly felt everyone’s prayers. I needed those prayers as I was fighting for my life. This whole ordeal taught me that the power of prayer cannot be underestimated. I have seen God do amazing things.

The Congressional Baseball Game is a fun way for Democrats and Republicans to come together and raise money for various charities. After the shooting, the event went from bringing in $500,000 for charity to $1.5 million.

When I returned home to Louisiana, I read my daily Bible passage from the day the shooting occurred. It is Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, whom should I dread? When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall.”

The man who meant to do evil on that baseball field stumbled and fell through the grace of God. It still gives me goosebumps. It starts with God and it is all for the grace of God.