Our Gracious Lord, It is to You we give all the Glory, Honor and Praise for again sparing the life of another one of Your servants.  Lord, we know that whenever someone tries to harm a law enforcement officer, it is because they are rebelling against the laws You established long ago.  Lord, we,, therefore, come before Your Throne of Grace to lift up Deputy Hillestad into Your loving arms and ask for Your healing touch to be upon his heart, mind and physical body as he will obviously have indelible marks left on his body as a reminder of this near death experience.  Lord, we thank you for sparing his life.  May You grant the doctors and medical staff continued wisdom and insight to treat and fully heal his knee wound.  May Your grace extend to the many friends and co-workers of this wounded deputy and draw them all so very close to Your side.  Lord, we are thankful Deputy Hillestad was able to protect himself by returning fire.  Most importantly, Lord, may Your grace and peace touch Deputy Hillestad who, for months or years, may have to replay this life threatening scenario over and over in his mind.  Lord, because of this, we ask for Your grace, peace and mercies to settle upon his mind and prevent him from enduring any long-term emotional trauma.  May you also grant his family wisdom and peace to support him through any difficult days he may have ahead of him.  May they all be drawn ever so close to Your side and sense Your sweet presence in his time of need.  We are also so thankful that the suspect has been captured and will be brought to justice.  Finally, may Deputy Hillestad and his family members come to know Your endless love and grace in a very real and personal way.  May Your amazing grace and Presence descend upon the entire McCook County Sheriff’s Department as they cope with the near loss of a friend and colleague.  May Your grace especially be with his co-workers who may be struggling spiritually and emotionally with this near-death experience.  May Your endless love be made real in their lives and may they be drawn unto Your Son, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

News Link:
http://www.mitchellrepublic.com/news/local/4260940-mccook-county-deputy-shot-wednesday-morning-identified