A NAVY SEAL'S PRAYER

This story will require me to unpack some details.  I don't have daily encounters with Navy Seals.  My son, Travis, did when he was with us, but I rarely meet these guys.  I used to think they all looked alike;  that is, until we attended Travis' memorial service in Honolulu four years ago.  He worked with a seal team at the time and MANY attended the service and greeted us afterward.  Some were tall - others short.  Some were thick - others thin.  Some were bulky and muscular - others were lean and toned.  In this particular scenario, the thing they all had in common was that they respected and admired Travis Haire.  :-)

When Debbie and I arrived in Boston Friday to meet our son-in-law, Josh, he introduced us to his friend, Nicholas R.  Senior Chief Nic is a Navy Seal who is enthusiastic about life and passionate about supporting the families of our fallen heroes.  Our whole purpose for being in Boston was to be spectators at the Spartan Stadion at Fenway Park where both Josh and Nic would be running the 5K obstacle course along with 10,000 others!  By the way, Nic is the tall, thick, muscular type.  ;-)   Through our discussions with him, it became quickly apparent to us that Nic was a Christian - a strong one!

We enjoyed watching Josh and Nic on Saturday as they completed the race.  It was a cold day, but sunny.  Then, Josh had arranged for Tracie (our daughter and family), Jon, Rylie and Colton to come up in the evening to join us at a local steakhouse for a late supper.  Eating out raises major concerns for Coltin due to his extreme dairy/egg allergies.  Josh had cleared the location with Tracie who had contacted their corporate office regarding the handling of food for people with allergies.  She had been assured that he would receive a special menu and his food would be properly handled.

We arrived at the restaurant and were seated and served our beverages.  Our waitress was acquainted with Jon and Tracie's home area and a good relationship was established.  She was very patient with Coltin - who by-the-way was using his best 'eat-out' manners (he announced early that he had placed his cloth napkin on his lap)!  :-)  This was a steakhouse a good couple clicks above the kind that Debbie and I tend to frequent.  Very nice!  It took over an hour to get settled and place our orders.

When our drinks arrived, to our surprise, Nic called for our attention and proposed a toast to Veteran's Day dedicating it to Travis' memory and using an old Irish proverb as its form:

"There are good ships and wood ships, ships that sail the sea,          but the best ships are friendships, may they always be!"

Although we didn't realize it at the moment, our toast was overheard by those at tables near us...

Finally, the food was all served within a couple of minutes and we began to enjoy our amazing steaks and extras.

Then it happened!  I looked up and Coltin was in tears.  Jon and Tracie reacted like first-responders, leaping to his side!  I immediately bowed my head and began to pray in my whispered manner.  Debbie also began to pray.  Once or twice, I looked up to see how things were evolving.  I saw the Epi-pen in Tracie's hand.  She and Jon were having him drink some Benadryl.  I continued to pray.

That's when I heard it!  It was a strong voice crying out to Jesus for intervention for Coltin.  The voice asked for Jesus to protect him and to cover him with the Holy Spirit!  It was not a short prayer, but continued in stride with the prayers that Debbie and I were also offering.  I was so immersed in my own intercession that I can't tell you great details about the prayer I was hearing in the background.  Debbie told me later that it was Nic, who was seated at the end of the table right next to Coltin.  They had enjoyed several friendly exchanges during the course of the evening.

You know how this ended, right?  Coltin ended up - after a bit of time - being ok.  His Uncle Josh walked him to a nearby drug store and eventually brought him back with a bag of chips and a bag of jerky!  Obviously, those around us were aware that we had experienced a bit of a crisis - as were the restaurant managers.  Our waitress stood with tears streaming down her face during this episode.

We finished our meals as best we could (they were amazing).  When it came time to fold up and leave, our waitress informed us that the restaurant had extended a significant discount as an expression of their concern.  Then she went on to tell us that the people at a table near ours had overheard our toast and some of our dialogue.  Realizing that we had several military personnel at our table, they paid the rest of the bill.  Although we never saw our bill, I'm guessing that it was in the $300-$500 range!  Yet they never identified themselves!

There are generous people in this world who practice the biblical exhortation to not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing!  I was encouraged by their kindness!

I am also encouraged to know that there are bold, courageous, strong men and women of faith who populate our military!  Today, on this Veterans Day Weekend, I give thanks for two of these men:  Master Chief Jon Kerstetter and Senior Chief Nicholas R.  May God continue to bless them and use them for His sovereign purposes - and may God bless the United States of America and and allow us to continue to be an instrument of blessing to the world in His hand!