A Dying Man's Cry

Maurice S. Rawlings, a cardiologist at the Diagnostic Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, had an encounter that literally scared him into looking towasrd salvation. Rawlings took Jesus Christ as his own Savior as a result of an experience with a dying patient.

Rawlings wrote:

The patient began "coming to." But whenever I would reach for instruments or otherwise interrupt my compression of his chest, the patient would again lose consciousness, roll his eyes upward, arch his back in mild convulsion, stop breathing, and die once more.

Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. In fact, the episode literally scared the hell out of me! It terrified me enough to write this book. . . .

He said, "Don't you understand? I am in hell. Each time you quit I go back to hell! Don't let me go back to hell! . . . "

As a result, I started working feverishly and rapidly. By this time the patient had experienced three or four episodes of complete unconsciousness and clinical death from cessation of both heartbeat and breathing.

After several death episodes he finally asked me, "How do I stay out of hell?" I told him I guessed it was the same principle learned in Sunday school--that I guessed Jesus Christ would be the one whom you would ask to save you.

Then he said, "I don't know how. Pray for me."

Pray for him! What nerve! I told him I was a doctor, not a preacher.

"Pray for me!" he repeated.

I knew I had no choice: It was a dying man's request. So I had him repeat the words after me as we worked--right there on the floor. It was a very simple prayer because I did not know much about praying. It went something like this:

Lord Jesus, I ask you to keep me out of hell. Forgive my sins. I turn my life over to you. If I die, I want to go to heaven. If I live, I'll be "on the hook" forever.

The patient's condition finally stabilized, and he was transported to a hospital. I went home, dusted off the Bible, and started reading it.

Source: Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door (New York: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1978), pp. 18-20.