When a tiny premature baby was born without a heartbeat and 1% chance of survival, a terrified mother trusted God for a miracle. Now that boy is Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl hero Derick Hall and his remarkable NFL player faith journey proves no survival story is impossible for Heaven.
We face situations that look completely hopeless, but God is always right there working behind the scenes. This incredible testimony reminds us once again how faithfully God guides us even when doctors say there is no chance.
Derick arrived four months early weighing just a pound and a half and he had a brain bleed with no heartbeat at all. The doctors gave him a tiny one percent chance to survive.
Derick explained it so bluntly when he said “I wasn’t born… breathing. I was born dead.” His mother Stacy Gooden-Crandle was obviously scared but she leaned completely on God during those dark hospital days. She shared “Emotional, a lot of uncertainty, scared. But… those weren’t the feelings that I was feeling during Derick’s birth. I just trusted that God would work everything out.”
Stacy explained that their faith is the most important thing they share as a family. “We are people of faith and have been for most of my lifetime. I joined church when I was 16 years old, and I’ve just grown up as a woman of faith. I’ve raised my children in the church and instilled faith in them and just allowed them to flourish in their faith in their walk with Christ,” Stacy said.
Growing up was incredibly hard for him because his lungs were terribly underdeveloped. He would go out to play for just five minutes and then have to sit down for an hour to let his body catch up. He started playing football at age four just to feel like a normal kid.
Stacy bravely let him play tackle football later on even though he was still seeing a neurologist for his brain bleed. She made sure the coaches had his rescue inhalers and she trusted the Lord with the rest.
Growing up in the church gave Derick so much comfort when he didn’t understand his health battles. He remembered “My pastor always told me, you weren’t dying for this, you are blessed to be in this position and God has something greater for you, and I think that helped me be at ease with the situation and the things that me and my family were enduring during the time.”
He eventually became an incredible NFL player but his regular season last year brought a lot of frustration because he just wasn’t getting the sacks he wanted. Instead of getting bitter he turned his worries into a beautiful prayer. He said “I’m like, Lord, whatever you got planned, let it reveal itself.”
The amazing breakthrough arrived on the biggest stage possible at Super Bowl LX against the New England Patriots. Derick delivered a huge strip sack and got two sacks total to help Seattle win the championship. He was so happy and celebrated by saying “I got to that Super Bowl and I got both sacks, and I’m like, man, ain’t no time like God’s time. That’s true, man.”
Derick knows with absolute certainty that his success comes straight from heaven. He powerfully declared “I always speak to my faith because obviously I’m a miracle child, and I don’t say I’m doing good, I say I’m blessed, I can’t complain, I’m above ground and I’m blessed.”
Derick knows God fully orchestrated his path from the very beginning. He stated “You can’t tell me that a child with a one percent chance to live and not supposed to be walking, not supposed to be talking, not even supposed to be alive, ends up being a Super Bowl champion one day without the Lord being in their lives. That’s a miracle in itself.”
When we face unexpected trials, many of us ask God why this happened to us. We rely on our thoughts and the noises around us, and these thoughts push us to doubt our faith. But this mother’s response reminds us how to handle such situations. Instead of running away from Him in hard times, we are reminded to put our absolute trust in God and depend on Him completely. When we do that, we will witness His faithfulness revealing just like it did in their lives.
My dear friends in Christ, we will have many battles when we live on this earth, but we can get through them by trusting Him completely because He never changes and He is always right by our side. He has the ultimate power to deliver us through every single struggle.
As the Bible tells us, He knew us even before we were formed, and Derick’s life is a walking testimony of that promise. He walked through pain and struggles we can barely imagine, but looking back now, he testifies to God’s glory in it all.
There are thousands of Christian families who are going through trials of one kind or another. Let us pray for them to find hope and strength in Jesus Christ and witness His goodness in their lives.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
WATCH: Derick Hall’s Miraculous Journey to Super Bowl Champion
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