Pray for the Salters

Some of you know my friend, Dustin Salter. He is the RUF campus minister at Furman University and was formerly the RUF campus minister at TCU for the past 8 years. He is in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital in Greenville, SC. On Wednesday, November 8, Dustin and his two sons went for a bicycle ride on his new mountain bike in his neighborhood. Dustin had an accident and as a result of the fall he was knocked unconscious and sustained very serious head trauma. He had to be airlifted to the hospital in Greenville, where he was operated on that night in order to reduce/stop bleeding in his brain.

You can pray specifically for: (1) Immediate subsiding of swelling in Dustin's brain; (2) reversal of any damage to Dustin's brain; (3) improvement in neurological function (movement in his arms and legs, response to touch, pupils react to light, open eyes spontaneously); (4) reduction of complications like pneumonia, urinary tract infections, blood clots in his legs; and (5) strength and faith for his wife, Leigh Anne, and their three children (Jacob [9], Nathan [7], and Meredith [2]).

Reformed University Ministries has established a fund by which churches and individuals can support the Salter family, now and over the long term. Send gifts marked "Dustin Salter Care" to Reformed University Ministries, 1700 N. Brown Rd., #104, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.

Below is a prayer for Dustin & his family...

Our God & Heavenly Father, You are the Sovereign Lord & Only King of the Universe.

We cry out to You, our God, for help. We cry out to You, our God, to hear us. We are in distress; therefore we seek You. At night we stretch out untiring hands because our souls refuse to be comforted.

We come before You with heavy hearts filled with sadness & tired eyes filled with tears. Our dear brother, Dustin, has suffered a severe life-threatening injury while riding bikes with his children. We are struck anew with the brokenness of this world. Surely such an accident is violence against shalom. O Lord, this is not the way things are supposed to be.

Yet, You, O God, are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. When we are afraid, we will trust in You.

We pray specifically for our dear brother. You who are the Great Physician, would you awe us by Your great power? Would You give us even more reasons to praise You by healing Dustin and restoring him to Your service, to his family, and to us? Surely nothing is too hard for You! Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We know that one day, you will make everything the way its supposed to be. Your Kingdom will have come in all its fullness. Then there will be no more brokenness, sadness, tears or death. We long for that day, and we would ask that in this instance of our friend's brokenness that Your long-awaited Kingdom would break into the present. Please awaken him! Restore him, we pray!

We pray for Leigh Anne, Your precious daughter. Terror constantly assaults her soul. The enemy would destroy her confidence in You as good and as loving. During this time of severe testing, would You support her by Your strong right hand. May she come to understand You in a new and fresh way as the Rock of her salvation. Remind her through the testimony of your people that You will never leave her nor forsake her. Even though she is passing through the waters, they will not overwhelm her. Though she is passing through the fire, she will not be burned because You, O Lord, are Holy One of Israel, and you have her inscribed on the palms of Your hands. May she dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. May her soul find rest in You alone, for You alone are her rock and her salvation. Be to her a mighty fortress in which she can never be shaken. O Lord, she needs more of You at this very moment. Comfort her with the indescribable peace of Your presence.

And Lord, we pray for their children who must be scared and confused not understanding what is happening, nor all the implications. Protect them, O Lord. Even in these tender years, enable them to trust in You at all times and to pour our their hearts to You. Lead Leigh Ann and the children to the Rock that is higher than they. Put their feet upon the Rock and make their footsteps firm.

And Father, we pray for Your church which in so many countless ways is rising to the occasion. We pray for Jeff Wilkins and for Rob Hamby and for their wives who are involved in ministering in very difficult circumstances. Give them words to say, and the wisdom to say nothing at times and simply cry with Leigh Ann and others affected in deep ways by this tragedy. Strengthen them as they seek to minister to so many people who are looking to them for answers to unanswerable questions. Enable them to point to Christ—the Resurrection and the Life—the One in Whom our hope rests. May Leigh Anne find strength in the comfort of Your people who are only able to comfort through the power of Your Holy Spirit. Cause her to shine in this dark moment that others may see here and glorify the Lord Jesus.

"One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard:
that You, O God, are strong,
and that You, O Lord, are loving." (Ps. 62:11)

Hear our prayer. From the ends of the earth we call to you even as our heart faints. Hear us, through Jesus Christ in whom we live and breathe and have our being. Amen.