Dennis Prager has endured the kind of catastrophe that can leave a person asking one haunting question: God, where were You?
Nearly two years after a devastating fall left him paralyzed from the shoulders down, Prager returned to the public stage for his first in-person speech since the accident. And instead of blaming God for what happened, he made a declaration that cut straight through the mystery of suffering.
“I am not disappointed in God,” Prager said.
Prager explained that tragedy can sometimes shatter a person’s belief in God when faith has been built around the expectation that God will prevent suffering.
“A lot of people become atheists who were believers because they expected God to protect them, and then it didn’t happen,” Prager said.
But that is not how Prager says he has understood his relationship with God.
“I don’t expect God to protect me,” he said. “That is not the way I have viewed God. I have always viewed God as I want to know, as I’ve always said, what God wants of me much more than what I want of God.”
On Nov. 12, 2024, Prager stepped out of the shower at home, slipped on the wooden floor, and struck his head on the bathtub. The injury left him quadriplegic. Yet during his speech, Prager confronted one of the most difficult questions believers wrestle with when tragedy strikes: What exactly was God’s role?
“Should he have prevented my fall?” Prager asked.
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He then wondered whether God ensured his wife, Sue, was there when the accident happened or whether God allowed it for reasons humans cannot understand.
His conclusion was remarkably straightforward: We don’t know. However, Prager says he does know something.
“What I do believe is that God is with me at this painful time in my life,” he said.
Amid this life-altering event, one extraordinary detail about the accident is one Prager cannot ignore.
Normally, while he showered upstairs, Sue would be downstairs preparing his breakfast and lunch. But that morning, for whatever reason, she was upstairs and witnessed him fall.
Prager believes her presence saved him from brain damage and likely saved his life. He said medical professionals who have treated him have described his outcome as “miraculous,” pointing to the fact that he suffered no brain damage and can now speak and breathe without a ventilator.
Prager may not know why God allowed him to fall. He may not know why his wife happened to be standing nearby at precisely the moment he needed her. However, after everything that has happened, he knows what he believes.
God is still with him.
You can watch Dennis Prager’s full speech here. (Editor’s note: Mild language).
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
