The 24-hour news cycle started in the early 1990’s during the Gulf War. The world (me, especially) were glued to their television sets viewing live 24-hour news coverage. Gone were the days of the 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. evening news. Watching what was transpiring halfway around the world, I quickly became impressed with the bravery of war correspondents, putting their lives on the line to report the war. Despite safety protocols, however, dangers surrounded these journalists as accidents occurred.
Benjamin Hall is a British-American journalist who serves as a State Department correspondent for Fox News Channel. He began his career as a journalist focusing on the Middle East and has traveled to Syria and Iraq, repeatedly filing reports for BBC and Agence France Presse, often from behind enemy lines while embedded with rebel and regime troops.
The day started out like any other on March 14, 2022. Hall and his two colleagues were being driven by soldiers while on assignment in Ukraine outside of Kyiv. As they approached an abandoned checkpoint, a familiar whistling sound pierced the air and a missile landed about 30 feet in front of their vehicle. Despite attempts to reverse the car, another missile hit alongside the car, sending Hall to “another place,” shrouded in darkness and silence. He remembers a vision of his eldest daughter, Honor, telling him: “Daddy, you’ve got to get out of the car. You’ve got to get out of the car.” As he set one foot out the door, a third missile hit the car itself. When he regained consciousness, he realized he was on fire. His right leg was hanging on by the skin. His left foot had a “baseball-sized hole right through it.” He later learned he had a fractured skull and his left eye was sliced in half. Most of his left hand was decimated. Despite his critical injuries, Hall said death never crossed his mind. “I just knew that I was going to go home,” he says. Unfortunately, his two companions were killed in the attacks. Benjamin Hall was faced with a huge mountain to overcome.
It was a long road of recovery for Hall. He was transported from Ukraine to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Despite expecting a two-year recovery period, Hall set his sights on overcoming his mountain and reuniting with his family and by doing so recovered in five months. “It was love and my family that saved me and (give) me that strength today.”
Hall’s right leg was amputated below the knee. He says that he’s in pain with every step. Though he can walk for 30 to 40 minutes at a time before needing to rest, it’s a far cry from going on hikes with his children. But Hall tries not to dwell on those challenges, because he is incredibly grateful to be alive. Hall says it’s his faith in God and his incredible love for his family that gets him through.
Hall says: “I think a lot of people don’t realize the resilience that they have inside them, and it only comes out when they’re up against a wall, when they need it. You’ve got it inside you. It’s there. Just go and find it.” Hall credits an unexplained miracle for getting him through.
We all face the obstacle of overcoming a mountain set before us at some time in our lives … personal loss, health issues, financial troubles. The important fact is nothing can touch you without God’s consent. For those who conquer and overcome, where does their hope and spirit come from?
Joshua 6:1-5: “Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.’”
A victory for Joshua’s army seemed very unlikely. Not only was there a great wall protecting Jericho, God had issued strange instructions to march around the wall. The Lord promised the land, and Joshua believed Him. Joshua wasn’t fazed by what seemed impossible. God was already at work, preparing the city for destruction by instilling fear into the kings of that region. A most unusual battle plan … Joshua obeyed … God’s people triumphed.
It’s tempting to wonder if God will help us when we face our mountains. But just as with Joshua, God has and will go before us to prepare the way. No matter how God chooses to handle a problem, His solution is always in our best interest.
Whenever you face a mountain, you may experience doubts and heartache. But even in the midst of the pain, trust in God. Talk to Him … He’ll encourage you with His love and guidance.
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com. Visit her at the Second Mile blog at https://debbyefurd.com.
