Saving Harry
A Mother's relentless prayer Wouldn't let son die Unsaved
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In my first church, there was a Godly great-grandmother who had six children and large number of grandchildren as well as several great-grandchildren. Everyone who knew her called her “Granny”.
She was a woman of prayer as was evidenced by all her children being Christians with one exception, |
her oldest son Harry who lived across the street from our church. He was a seventy-year-old heathen by every definition of the word. Every pastor in the region knew of him and it was generally understood that the pastor that got Harry saved would have his church named after him. When we moved to the community, I was quickly informed of Harry’s presence and the church’s expectation that I take my shot at him just like all the rest.
Every time I visited Granny, she would talk about Harry and how she had prayed for him for 70 years but nothing had happened. With tears, she told me she couldn’t die and go on to Heaven knowing that Harry was surely going to go to hell. She had to stay here and continue praying.
One afternoon soon after arriving in the community, I went across the road from the country church to visit Harry and his wife. His wife played the piano in our church. When I knocked on the glass door, I heard a man’s voice in the background of the house say, “Uh Oh!” I surmised that might be Harry wanting to avoid a pastoral visit and I was right.
Every time I visited Granny, she would talk about Harry and how she had prayed for him for 70 years but nothing had happened. With tears, she told me she couldn’t die and go on to Heaven knowing that Harry was surely going to go to hell. She had to stay here and continue praying.
One afternoon soon after arriving in the community, I went across the road from the country church to visit Harry and his wife. His wife played the piano in our church. When I knocked on the glass door, I heard a man’s voice in the background of the house say, “Uh Oh!” I surmised that might be Harry wanting to avoid a pastoral visit and I was right.
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I was invited in by the wife and met Harry who was sitting in the den. He didn’t look as bad as I was expecting. He immediately proceeded to tell me a dirty joke to see what I would do. I knew what he was doing. He thought I would run for the door with my hands covering my ears and he would never have to bother with me again. To his amazement, I laughed at his crude joke. He was surprised because all the other pastors had run. We became friends that day and he never cursed or told another dirty joke again in my presence in all the years that followed. He never came to church but always seemed very interested. In fact, he supervised the construction of a new building we built while I was there!
One afternoon, I got a call that Harry had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. I left immediately not knowing what I would find. It was a very light heart attack and Harry was doing well. Before I left the hospital, I told him we needed to pray but Harry assured me he was fine. I told him that he was 70 years old and had just experienced a heart attack and where would he be if he had died. His reply was, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.”
Harry came home from the hospital and was his usual self for several months following until another call came that Harry had had a second heart attack and was in I.C.U. in critical condition. I rushed to the hospital. When I walked into Harry’s room, he was sitting up in bed eating lunch, and looking great but he immediately said, “Preacher, I died last night.” He had been resuscitated and seemed perfectly normal. We talked but when I wanted to pray, he told me, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.” As calmly as possible, I lovingly shared with him that most 70 year olds who die do not come back and eat lunch the next day! He would not budge.
When I went to his mother’s house, she was weeping and praying for Harry and had been doing that all the night before. Her children and grandchildren were afraid something might happen to her! I tried to help calm her but all she could say through her tears was, “God, Harry can not die and go to hell.” I finally just left.
The next morning when I walked into Harry’s room, it was an exact repeat of the day before. “Preacher, I died twice last night!” I attempted to communicate to Harry that this was very serious and he could have very well stepped into eternity without Jesus but he continued to insist saying, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.”
One afternoon, I got a call that Harry had had a heart attack and was in the hospital. I left immediately not knowing what I would find. It was a very light heart attack and Harry was doing well. Before I left the hospital, I told him we needed to pray but Harry assured me he was fine. I told him that he was 70 years old and had just experienced a heart attack and where would he be if he had died. His reply was, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.”
Harry came home from the hospital and was his usual self for several months following until another call came that Harry had had a second heart attack and was in I.C.U. in critical condition. I rushed to the hospital. When I walked into Harry’s room, he was sitting up in bed eating lunch, and looking great but he immediately said, “Preacher, I died last night.” He had been resuscitated and seemed perfectly normal. We talked but when I wanted to pray, he told me, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.” As calmly as possible, I lovingly shared with him that most 70 year olds who die do not come back and eat lunch the next day! He would not budge.
When I went to his mother’s house, she was weeping and praying for Harry and had been doing that all the night before. Her children and grandchildren were afraid something might happen to her! I tried to help calm her but all she could say through her tears was, “God, Harry can not die and go to hell.” I finally just left.
The next morning when I walked into Harry’s room, it was an exact repeat of the day before. “Preacher, I died twice last night!” I attempted to communicate to Harry that this was very serious and he could have very well stepped into eternity without Jesus but he continued to insist saying, “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved.”
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When I arrived at Granny’s house, she was barely consolable. She had been praying continuously since word first came of what was happening to her oldest son. She refused to give up. “God you cannot let my son die and go to hell.” Her family was much more concerned about her than Harry.
The next day, it was more of the same at the hospital and Granny’s house. Harry’s heart would stop, doctors and nurses would come running as they responded to the hospital “Code”. Harry would be resuscitated again and again and immediately be ready for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They even moved his own personal “crash cart” to his bedside out of convenience for whenever Harry needed to be resuscitated again. His doctors were consulting other doctors around the country because no one there had ever had a case like Harry. |
I would return to the hospital every day and tell Harry with ever increasing urgency that this could continue indefinitely. He is lost. He is going to die and go to hell unless he accepts Jesus into His heart and is born again. And his response was always the same. “Preacher, I am not ready to get saved yet.” As all of this was going on, Harry was continually refusing to get saved and Granny was continually refusing to let him die and go to hell!
Over the next few days, Harry died and was resuscitated once, twice, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve times! I was at the hospital on Sunday afternoon right after he had just been resuscitated for the thirteenth time. I tried to talk to him and again. and Harry finally agreed that if I would lead the prayer, he would follow along and agree to it! I knew that might be as close as we would ever get. I led the sinner’s prayer and he sincerely agreed to it saying “Amen”. I left the hospital and before the night was over, Harry “coded” again for the last time and steeped out of his earthly body and went to Heaven. I preached his funeral later that week and told this story.
Granny’s refusal to accept eternal hell for a child she had prayed for seventy years was the only thing that kept him alive. Harry went to Heaven though no one is quite sure how large a mansion he got when he arrived! But Granny’s prayers and God’s faithfulness got him there!
Over the next few days, Harry died and was resuscitated once, twice, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve times! I was at the hospital on Sunday afternoon right after he had just been resuscitated for the thirteenth time. I tried to talk to him and again. and Harry finally agreed that if I would lead the prayer, he would follow along and agree to it! I knew that might be as close as we would ever get. I led the sinner’s prayer and he sincerely agreed to it saying “Amen”. I left the hospital and before the night was over, Harry “coded” again for the last time and steeped out of his earthly body and went to Heaven. I preached his funeral later that week and told this story.
Granny’s refusal to accept eternal hell for a child she had prayed for seventy years was the only thing that kept him alive. Harry went to Heaven though no one is quite sure how large a mansion he got when he arrived! But Granny’s prayers and God’s faithfulness got him there!