05 Oct A Man Who Loved God’s Word

I got her text message while taking some time out in my room during our church retreat. A friend of mine in our neighborhood, Ivy, reached out to ask if I could meet with her next door neighbor, Norman Green, a Christian man who was at home under hospice care. I told her I would love to come visit Norman as soon as we got home from the retreat.

After letting my husband know about this, he informed me that he had played volleyball with Norman (who went by “Norm”) and asked if I remembered the purple rock he had painted for us. Immediately I knew what he was referring to. In fact, Norm’s rocks were all over town. The front of our rock simply said, “Jesus is my solid rock.” The back had each of our names and his initials, “N.G.”

As I walked into Norm’s house last Sunday afternoon, I noticed that he had created art in various forms with Scripture verses written on each of them and placed them on the walls of his house. The Word of God seemed to be everywhere I looked.

As I entered Norm’s room and Ivy introduced me to him, it was obvious he was unable to communicate much. I asked him if I could pray with him or read him some Scripture. He made it clear he wanted me to read to him, so I asked him what he’d like me to read. He didn’t seem to have a preference, he just wanted to hear the Word of God. I read him some Psalms first, then paused, asking him again if I could pray with him. He simply said “keep reading.” I read chapters from Matthew, Isaiah, and other books. Every time I stopped he just said “more” or “keep reading.”

After reading many chapters I asked again if I could pray for him. He agreed. I prayed that he would sense God’s peace and presence as he lay in his bed. Then I said goodbye and left with Ivy.

As I drove the few blocks back to my house, I let myself soak mentally in the moment I had just experienced.

Norm could not eat much. He could not move much. He was, in fact, dying. And yet, he knew what he wanted. He wanted God’s Word.

I got the feeling when he agreed to let me pray for him that he would have been perfectly fine with me just continuing to read Scripture over him. My words were ok. But what he really wanted to hear was God’s Word.

As I sat in my car for those few minutes afterward, before opening my front door and entering back into the crazy beautiful chaos of my own life and family, I thought deeply on the passion I heard in his voice when he said “more” and “keep reading.” Norm was about to enter eternity and he wanted eternal words. 

Eternal words that don’t break and bend and snap and strain. Eternal words that can sustain a hungry soul and thirsty heart.

Norm reminded me in that visit that man does not live by bread alone. Man is sustained by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Yesterday, Norm passed into glory and is now in the presence of the one he loves most – His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. While Norm is gone, his influence and impact will remain. And his lovely rocks will continue to remind us to cling to Jesus, who is our rock in this shaky and temporal world. And I will tell my children of this man who loved Jesus and loved to hear his words, even to the end.