The Man Who Walked Away from a Five-Time Rollout

“One o’clock in the morning there was an unrest. And it was not something that I've been accustomed to.”  That nagging feeling had kept Denise Gordon up for hours pacing and praying. Her 31-year-old son, Paul, should’ve been home long before now. Denise recalls the long hours waiting. “Try to call him again. No answer. Text him, no answer. I can't let this one go. I mean, ‘Lord, something is, is happening. It's not like my son not to call. It's not like my son not to answer’.”  Denise was praying Psalm 91 again and again… weaving her son’s name into the verses:  ‘For He will command His angels concerning Paul, to guard Paul in all His ways.’  “You said that ‘you will keep my children. You've given them to me as a gift to raise for your glory’. My feelings, my emotions were all over. I would love to say that I walked outta my room and said blessed’ assurance’. I mean I’d love to say that. The reality was it was pain. I'm like, ‘Father, you know, I'm a mess. I can't do this without you’.”

An actor and musician, Paul had driven into Manhattan earlier that evening for a business meeting and to see a show.  About 1 am he headed home to Brooklyn. By then, his mother had already sensed something was wrong. She recalls,  “I'm saying, ‘Lord, you know, you say that there's nothing too hard for you to do. I need to know where Paul is. I need to know what's going on’.” Minutes from home, as Paul was approaching his interstate exit, a speeding car clipped his bumper sending Paul’s car into multiple rolls.  A car following Paul recorded the accident on dashcam. To Paul, time seemed to slow down. He recalls,  “I was in shock, like, ‘is this really happening?’ I'm like trying to see if I feel any pain of anything. Then I start thinking about family, and I start thinking about, am I gonna see my sister's wedding next week? I start thinking about, wow, am I gonna die quick? Way too scared, way too afraid. Way too traumatized. Way too sad, to say anything, but, ‘Oh my God. Oh my God’.” 

Finally, after rolling 5 times, his car came to a stop, landing upright. Inside the car Paul pulled out his phone and started recording. “I’m in a car crash. I can’t get the door open. I’m in a car crash. I’m in a car crash.” Full of adrenaline, Paul climbed out the window of his totaled car. Although shaken, he began to process what had just happened. He recalls, “I was afraid to look at my body 'cause I know that during adrenaline, you don't normally register your pain or your injuries yet. So I was praying to God. I'm like, ‘God, please, please, no injuries’.” It was then he realized his only injury was a superficial cut on his arm. Again, Paul recorded the scene. “This car rearended me. Bleeding here. And luckily, I’m unscathed. I’m still clean. Got a little scrape here. But guys, I’m good and you can’t tell me God isn’t real.” Paul went on to say, “Everybody was shocked. They were like, ‘you’re not supposed to be here.’ EMT was like, ‘you flipped five times. You're supposed to be dead. Like, they're like, I've seen people die for less.”

Paul texted his mom to let her know he was in an accident but ok.  Denise recalls her thoughts, “After my anxiety, my pressure, I thought ‘Thank you. Thank you, Father God, thank you for my children’.” EMTs drove him to the hospital for a complete checkup. Sitting in the ER, Paul had time to think and pray. He recalls, “Every time I was left alone, I was, ‘Thank you God’, with the bewilderment and the anger and the sadness of the whole thing. ‘Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, God’.” His sister soon arrived and took him home where his mom was waiting. Denise says,  “When I saw my son, my heart was glad. And I just said, ‘Son, I believe God for you’. And he says, ‘Mom, this is God.” In his room, Paul sat down to thank God for his mom’s prayers. “If I didn't have a praying mom, I would of course feel so much more alone. It’s amazing to know that she was praying. Her prayers of protection helped me get through it. After this car crash, I'm even more encouraged. I'm even more encouraged that God will have me protected and covered and he will look out for me.”

Although the other driver was never caught, Paul has forgiven them for the accident they caused. Paul says, “Because who knows what that driver is going through mentally, physically, spiritually? I have so many reasons to get revenge. But I cannot let it cloud my brain and my mind. So do I forgive the driver? I do forgive the driver. I hope he's okay.” Paul emerged from the accident with a stronger fire for God and confidence that God has a plan for his life. Both he and his mom have a deeper understanding of the power of prayer and of God’s protection. Denise believes, “You've gotta cry out to God for your children every single day, regardless of what they say, you've got to cry out to God for them. You've got to believe the word of God for them. I challenge you, read Psalm 91, put your name there, put your children’s name there. You must trust the word of God. You must read the word of God for yourself. You must get to know him.” And Paul says, “We are going to face problems and trauma and anger and car crashes and disappointments and embarrassment and attacks and betrayal. Keep breathing, keep breathing. God is covering you. If you're here, if you're still breathing, God is looking out for you.”