I believe there are times when the Lord arranges for a person to spend their last days in a nursing home. He places people in these homes, knowing that He has servants there who will befriend them and point them to Jesus. What amazing grace the Lord shows to those who have rejected Him all their lives – yet even in their very last days, He still holds out His hand to them.
There have been times when residents were clearly close to death, and I did not have confidence that they were heaven-bound. I have prayed for God’s mercy, asking that if my friend is not ready, to please give them another opportunity to hear the Gospel. I am humbled by the number of times the Lord has extended such grace.
Stan was one such friend. Over the years, we had developed a close friendship. He was mechanically inclined, as I am, so we had a lot in common, and shared many good stories about things we built or fixed. When I would talk to Stan about the Lord, however, I did not sense an open heart toward Him. Shortly after his 88th birthday, Stan became deathly ill, and a few of us cried out to the Lord to give him another chance to hear the Gospel. God gave Stan an amazing recovery, and he lived several months longer. Through that time, I reasoned with him about his need to open his heart to Jesus. But he remained reluctant….
One day, after a bad fall, Stan was rushed to a hospital. Doctors and nurses were in and out of his room, administering various treatments. Finally, a nurse approached his bedside. Stan’s daughter and I stood by as the nurse explained that because of several complications, he had very little chance to live. After the nurse left, Stan looked at us and said, “I guess I need Jesus for this one.” His daughter asked, “Are you ready to open your heart in surrender to Jesus?” He said “Yes”. Tears flowed from Stan, and us too, as he humbly prayed for Jesus to forgive his sins and come into his heart.
God afforded Stan another amazing recovery, and for the next several weeks, I helped him grow in his new relationship with Jesus. Regrets were shared, sins were confessed and the promises of God’s grace were embraced. At one point, Stan began to weep and said, “I really messed this thing up. I tried to do it my way, but I was wrong…” We talked about what he meant by this and he explained that he was wrong not to put his trust in Jesus long ago. He also shared how he always thought that the death of Jesus, His beatings, the need to carry His cross and “all that stuff” seemed crazy to him. But now it all made sense.
Our eyes are veiled when our hearts are not open to Jesus. But when our friends take Jesus’ hand in humble surrender, the veil is lifted and His light shines for them. What an amazing privilege we have to participate in His rescue plan.
Stan lived four months longer. During that time, he shared a deeper level of love with his family, deeper than he had ever known before. By God’s grace, he finished well. ~ B.G.