The Mercy Seat

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts, calls, and emails in the last 36 hours. And for your posts here to let me know your hearts were with us and your prayers were being lifted. I REALLY took comfort from your care. We have deeply felt God's presence as we dealt with shock and recovery from one of the most critical incidents that has ever threatened Copper's life while on duty. By the grace of God, we are emerging on the other side of this event, treading relatively unscathed, but for the scarring Copper bears inside for having narrowly escaped a more tragic, sobering outcome.

There are moments in a lifetime which forever alter our reality as people. Getting married. Experiencing the birth of a child. Releasing a loved one into the waiting arms of the Lord in heaven.

I am adding to my own compilation of these events the exact moment on Friday afternoon when I received the phone call from my sweet husband, who, over nearly deafening reverberations of a Fire Department Evac helicopter in the background, told me he had been involved in an accident ~ something about gunfire, explosions, and a fire. But that he was not harmed and would call me back later.

I hung up the phone, prayed, posted here (see immediate predecessor of this post) and waited.

Almost two miserable hours later, I practically tackled the phone on the first ring of his promised callback, thirsty to know what had happened and anxious for a more secure confirmation that my beloved husband was OK.

He was. And is. Aside from minor injuries, Copper is fine. By the grace of God.

Because the incident is under investigation, I am limited as to what I am able to share about it. But suffice it to say that Copper and his partner officer are both extremely graced and blessed to be alive. A fairly routine shooting range training at the outdoor course went very wrong yesterday. A perfectly fired shotgun blast somehow set off two very powerful munitions explosions which shook the ground, sending smoke and debris 100 feet into the air. This caused the entire area to ignite into an inferno within moments, surrounding the officers in a remote location. Copper and his fellow officer were rescued by Fire Evac personnel.

In the course of this incident, as he attempted to move it out of harm's way, Copper's shotgun suddenly discharged, sending a spray of bullets over his head and into the window of the patrol truck behind him, shattering it. It is unclear what made the shotgun misfire at that exact moment in time, but whatever the cause, it is a miracle that neither Copper or the other officer were injured, as the gun discharged at extremely close range to both of them. That shotgun blast was the third in a rapidfire series of powerful~brush~with~death events that Copper and the other officer survived.

And it meant to us yet another reason to openly celebrate LIFE and the power of God to preserve and protect us in all circumstances, however harrowing.

Though it scorched more than 6 acres, the fire was eventually extinguished. The nature and cause of the explosions are under investigation. Save for minor injuries, both men are unharmed and back at work. Though there will ensue an ongoing internal investigation, both officers are deeply grateful for the outcome of this critical series of events that very well may have ended in horrible tragedy. They are both alive.

I know what it is to reside tonight under the protective wing of the Holy Spirit. To rejoice in Copper's presence and to rebel against the pounding realization of what almost happened, and what my husband faced out there yesterday. I relearned what it is to be utterly helpless as the lives of loved ones face daunting situations, and to lean entirely on the abiding grace and power of God.

We have found ourselves in the Mercy Seat. And with gratitude, we will pause here and rest awhile, content in the grip of His grace.

You know, as I pray for my husband each morning, I am ashamed to admit that I sometimes feels as though I am going through the motions. Covering my bases. Checking in with God. Obeying. Doing the right thing. Not always because my whole heart is invested in my prayer, but because "pray for Copper" is on my to-do list. Copper is my husband, I love him, and I love and trust God, so I pray.

This morning, though, my prayer was markedly different. In my still shock-riddled state, I knelt and prayed for my husband in completely free flowing emotion and love and gratitude. In tears, I thanked God, petitioned for continued safety, and asked for His hand to never leave Copper's life as he works hard to protect and serves the lives of others. I prayed as though our lives depended on it.

Because yesterday, Copper's did.