One evening, following a church service, a friend and I sat down together in a donut shop to talk over a cup of coffee. I hadn't been with Ron Miller for several years, and I wanted to get an update concerning his work and walk with the Lord. As we talked, Ron shared this amazing story.

One morning, the week before Thanksgiving, Ron dropped his daughter off at the Christian School not far from their home. Because all of the other parents doing this chore were mothers, Ron hadn't had much of a chance to interact with them, except for one mother with whom he would often chat briefly in the hallway. On this particular morning, as Ron and Michelle exchanged pleasantries, another mother happened to come by and Michelle asked how her father was doing. "Not too well," was Sue's short response. Not wanting to be left completely out, Ron asked if her father was ill. "Yes," Sue sadly answered, "actually, he's terminally ill, and not handling it very well. He's miserable, and makes everyone around him miserable too. He's angry, bitter and impossible to get along with. And what's worse, he's not a Christian, and won't have anything to do with God. I'm really worried about him."

As Sue spoke, Ron felt a slight drawing to this situation, so he said, "I don't know that I can find the time, but if I do - and please understand, I'm not making any promises here - but if I do find the time, would it be alright if I visit your father?" "Well, sure, but I don't think he'll want to talk to you - he's very grumpy, complains all the time, and gets especially angry when anyone tries to talk with him about God. But you're welcome to try if you want to." Ron wrote down Sue's father's name and made a note concerning the location of the hospital.

The conversation with Sue was almost forgotten, until early Saturday morning. Ron had trouble sleeping, and he was keenly aware that he should make an effort to go see Sue's father. The problem was, the day was all planned out. It was going to be a family day, the last full day they would have together to make all the necessary preparations for the Thanksgiving meal they were planning for next Thursday. As Ron crawled out of bed, he could not shake the feeling that he should go to the hospital. Finally, he gave in to it and called his wife and four little girls into the living room. He told them he was very sorry, but there was a man dying in the hospital that he had to visit, and he asked them to join him in prayer. Then he went back into his room, put on a shirt, tie and suit, and drove to the hospital.

The closer he came to the hospital, the more fearful he became. What could he say to this man? Would the man become angry and yell at him, force him to leave the room, causing a big scene? These fears escalated as Ron approached the room. Suddenly a wave of relief washed over him when he peered in the room and saw that the man was sleeping. He went into the room, called the man's name softly, but he didn't wake up. Gladly, Ron walked back out into the hall. "At least I've tried," he justified to himself. But he couldn't walk away. He turned and went back into the room, touched the man lightly on his arm, and spoke his name. When the man opened his eyes and looked at Ron, he hesitatingly introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Dr. Miller. I'm not a medical doctor, I'm a psychologist and a friend of your daughter Sue. The other day when I was dropping off my daughter at school, she told me about your illness and I asked her if it would be alright for me to come see you."

Ron paused to take a breath and check to see what kind of reaction he might be getting from the man in the bed. To his surprise, there wasn't the negative reaction he expected, so Ron continued. "Actually, I came to talk with you about God. Would it be all right if I did that?" Ron braced himself, fearing the eruption that was sure would come. But when Sue's father nodded slowly, Ron began to talk. This was no planned speech, the words just seemed to flow - he talked about Jesus, what he came to do, how he died and rose again, and thus made a way for us to have forgiveness and peace with God. As he talked he could see very little reaction, except for the small tear that was starting to form in the lower eyelid of the man lying before him. Then Ron asked the question, "Would you like to accept Jesus and the forgiveness he offers? We could pray for that right now if you want." To his utter amazement, the man softly said yes, and a moment later Ron led him in a child-like prayer for salvation, forgiveness and peace.

As the prayer came to an end, Sue's father began to shake. Ron's first thought was that he must be having some kind of a convulsion. He said, "Do you want me to call the Nurse?" Certainly he needed medical treatment - Ron became quite frightened. But Sue's father shook his head, even though his body was now shaking violently. "No, don't call the Nurse," he said. "What's happening to me isn't a medical problem at all. It's just that my whole body is being filled with peace!" And then, nearly shouting, he continued, "I have peace, for the first time in my life, I have peace."

By now Ron was crying his own tears, and as the man in the bed settled down, they talked a bit more. Ron promised to return, and up until the time that Sue's father died three weeks later, Ron was at his side almost every day, reading from the Bible, praying and singing hymns - up until the time He moved up to the home prepared for him.

As I sipped my coffee while Ron told the story, I too had tears in my eyes. And I sent my own prayer heavenward, "Please, Lord, help me be as sensitive to the prompting of your Spirit as was Ron."