By Kayla DeKraker
Soon after the six-year anniversary of their son River’s death, former country star Granger Smith and his wife Amber took some time to reflect on everything God’s taught them since the tragic accident.
On the singer-turned-pastor’s podcast, the couple recalled the moment they realized 3-year-old son would not wake up after drowning in the family pool.
“We hadn’t slept…we were in the hospital. A doctor had come in and told us there’s no [brain] activity…that was a shock when we heard that,” Granger recalled. “We thought he was going to be okay but just going to be really sick. That’s actually what the nurses told us and the EMTs told us. He’s going to make it, but it’s going to be a long road to recovery.”
Amber added, “We thought he would have some brain injuries and disabilities and learning things that we would have to work through, but we never thought that he would not open his eyes.”
Granger then read Psalm 118:24, which says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
He explained, “That’s every day. That’s not a Friday. That’s not a good day. That’s not a day when everything seems to be okay or the day where you actually feel peace or rest or hope.”
God tells us that no matter what kind of day we are having, we are to rejoice.
“Through suffering, through loss, through cancer, through sickness, through marriages, through divorces, through babies being born and babies being lost,” Granger continued. “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.”
Amber then read Psalm 40, which she says touches her even today: “I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog and set my feet upon a rock making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see in fear and put their trust in the Lord.”
She said, “So June 5th [the day after River died] was really dark, and I did not have a song of praise in my mouth…and He has put a song in my mouth a song of praise.”
It’s been six years since River drowned, and the Smith family continues to lean on God for hope and healing.
Related: Granger Smith to Talks New Memoir ‘Like a River’
“6 years later — This past Sunday, I watched my husband preach from John 3 to our congregation,” Amber posted on June 4. “I cried as he led our church in taking the Lord’s Supper. Only the Lord could take two broken sinners and use our scars to point others to the healing, light and life found in Him. He is so faithful.”
“I miss River so much and I still have sad days, but I can say now, it is well with my soul,” she reflected. “Run to Jesus. He is not absent from your pain. He entered into it with us and His steadfast love endures forever.”
Drowning accidents are far too common, and the American Red Cross gives several tips on how to lower the risk. These tips include “surrounding your pool with four-sided isolation fencing with a self-closing and self-latching gate that is out of the reach of a child,” having “door alarms and locks that are out of the reach of a child on all doors and windows with direct access to the pool or spa area” and “lockable covers.”
The Smiths’ story is a reminder that even on the worst of days, God is still with us and will rescue us, even if it doesn’t come how we think it should.
Read Next: Granger Smith Explains Gospel’s Power: ‘The Way For Our Salvation’
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