Posted on 06/24/2013 9:57:24 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
High wire artist Nik Wallenda constantly prayed to Jesus as he walked without a harness on a 1,400-foot long high-wire across a 1,500-foot tall gorge near the Grand Canyon on Sunday, successfully completing the death-defying feat that was broadcast live on the Discovery Channel.
"Thank you Lord. Thank you for calming that cable, God," The Associated Press quoted Wallenda as saying as he had reached halfway through the tightrope. He had no safety tether attaching him to his line at a height taller than the Empire State Building, and was facing sudden wind gusts of over 20 mph.
Discovery chose to broadcast the event with a 10-second delay, not wanting to take a chance as even one wrong step could have proven fatal for Wallenda.
Wallenda murmured prayers to Jesus almost constantly along the way, and completed the walk in 22 minutes and 54 seconds.
"It took every bit of me to stay focused that entire time," Wallenda, 34, said, according to Reuters. "My arms are aching like you wouldn't believe."
He had to stop and crouch down twice due to the wind for the first time, and later the cable picked up an unsettling rhythm. But it "was a dream come true," he said. "This is what my family has done for 200 years, so it's part of my legacy."
The "#Skywire" hashtag received more than 700,000 tweets on Twitter.
Pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, tweeted just before the feat, saying, "Here at the Grand Canyon with my friend @NikWallenda. Praying for his success!" After the event, he tweeted again. "Congrats to @NikWallenda for making history. Your courage and faith is inspiring."
Pop music singer Keith Urban also tweeted, "GO NIK WALLENDA!!! Absolutely astounding feat AND faith!!!! We were with you every single step!!!! –KU."
Golfer Paul Azinger said on Twitter, "@NikWallenda Wow! You are physically smart and a mental giant." National Football League player JJ Watt said, "Really didn't think I would be this locked in. It's captivating."
The U.S. government did not allow the use of the Grand Canyon proper for the event. Therefore, Wallenda walked above a stretch of the Little Colorado River Gorge on Navajo Nation land, which was equally dangerous.
Wallenda, a married father of three, last summer became the first man in history to walk 1,800 feet on a tightrope across the roaring Niagara Falls from the U.S. to the Canadian side of the falls. Soon thereafter he announced his desire to cross the Grand Canyon.
He is the seventh generation of the legendary Great Wallendas and began walking the wire at age 4. His great-grandfather Karl Wallenda fell off a wire to his death in 1978.
In his memoir, Balance: A Story of Faith, Family, and Life on the Line, the high wire artist writes, "I believe that God gives us the power to transform any story from darkness to light."
Wallenda had earlier told The Christian Post, "I visualize myself crossing the Canyon over and over again. I visualize myself making that first step, quarter of a way, half way, three quarters of a way and then finishing that walk. That's really a lot of the mental prep."
He said he often talks to God while he is on the wire. "I find that peaceful and relaxing and He's the only one up there listening to me." He added that his faith plays a crucial role in what he does. "My life is based on my faith. I guess the biggest role that it plays is that if I do fall and die I know where I'm going."
ABC didn’t cut his audio, he was praying all the way across Niagara, they didn’t even cut him complaining about the tether they made him wear. Only difference audio wise is they asked him some questions during the walk at Niagara and he opted out of that (could hear him tell his dad “I don’t want to talk to anybody”) last night.
excellent.........
Amen!!
And Peter walked on water until he took his eyes off of Jesus.
WOW indeed. I hope at 73 I can walk on the ground without being wobbly.
When he prayed for Jesus and God to give him the inner strength and calmness to complete his task I was with him all the way. When he prayed for them to stop the wind from blowing, not so much.
Excellent point!
Maybe the Muslims saw it worldwide.
First, I have no problem with someone doing something stupid, it is their life. If they want to risk it for some silly reason, go for it.
Having said that, I will not spend money or time to watch them risk their life.
I will concede it takes great skill and a certain amount of faith of ones skill to do this sort of thing. I do not however consider it brave. Heroics for no purpose is just being foolish.
But I may be alone in this opinion, and that is just what it is, one person’s opinion.
I get in trouble with the boss for not wearing protection with the leaf blower.Ruh roh! The boss is wise and protective. Nik Wallenda, not so much...
You can certainly hope...
;-\
And who is not at risk for death to happen - it's a guarantee it will happen?
Difference is with some and him... "My life is based on my faith. I guess the biggest role that it plays is that if I do fall and die I know where I'm going."
Is praying for the wind to subside any different from praying to God to get that job you really need or wanted? From praying that a loved one recover from injury or disease? God doesn't always give us what we want, but will always give us what we need. All we need to do is ask.
Nah, he should have gone with a red, white, and blue, star-spangled Icarus costume, complete with long feathers. The man has no sense of theater. :)
IIRC Peter was walking towards Jesus, no performing a circus stunt.
Including you and me. John D. Rockefeller took great chances because he truly believed that God was on his side.
Yes, he was and his faith in Jesus made it possible. I am not comparing the events but pointing out that faith in Jesus does make the impossible into the possible.
exactly. it was so powerful and media could do nothing to stop this show of total submission, faith, and gratitude. Bless Nik for his powerful role.
Then you never watch the 500 either. They make it look easy but an ordinary driver wouldn’t last a laps in one of those races.
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