This past Friday night I learned that my good friend Wayne Smith was hospitalized in Lexington and was not doing well. Wayne just celebrated his 85th birthday last month. He had served for over forty years as the minister of the Southland Christian Church in Lexington. He became an icon in that town and no one is better known and more loved in our brotherhood than Wayne B. Smith.
Before he retired a decade ago, he and I exchanged pulpits, met weekly to write sermons and shared a lot of laughter and more than a few tears. We have a mutual respect and love for one another.
On Saturday I drove to Lexington to see Wayne. I wasn’t sure he’d be conscious since his daughters, Jana and Judy, had reported that their dad was in a semi-conscious state on Friday night. But he had rallied on Saturday and when I entered his room in ICU, he was very lucid. We had a brief conversation about his condition and thanked one another for what we had meant to each other.
Before leaving I asked, “Wayne, How do you want me to pray for you?” That seemed an appropriate question. How do you pray for someone you love whose quality of life has really diminished the past few years? Wayne is frustrated that he can’t walk, he can’t preach, he can’t really care for his wife who has dementia, and recently one of his legs is giving him such intense pain he has trouble sleeping. And there are other unmentionable problems. Wayne doesn’t hesitate to mention them in a private conversation (and might not hesitate even in a sermon!) but I’ll not detail them here. You know what I’m talking about…
How do you pray for someone who has trusted in the Lord’s grace all his life and preached that his concept of heaven is riding in a gold Cadillac with a bag of chocolate covered peanuts at his side? Do you pray for God to spare his life? Really? Is that what we want? Another year or two struggling in this earthly tent that is wasting away? Or do we really believe what we say we believe that, “to depart and be with Christ… is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).
Not knowing how to pray, I asked, “Wayne, how do you want me to pray for you?” He answered, without hesitation, “Please pray that I go tonight. I’m ready. I don’t want to spend another night like last night.”
I responded, “You know that’s really hard for me to do, because selfishly I want you here. What if I pray that the Lord would either restore you to where you are feeling good again, or that you die peaceably? Would that be okay?” He assured me that would be fine, although it was pretty clear his preference was, “…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”, right then.
After our prayer, we verbalized our love for one another and I left, saddened by the fact that I might not ever see my friend again on this side. I couldn’t help but weep. But I don’t “sorrow as those who have no hope.” Wayne and I have not just preached that the Lord’s grace is sufficient to forgive our sins and grant us eternal life; we have believed it with all our hearts.
On the way home, I returned a phone call to Ben Merold who, like Wayne, is a much loved minister in the Christian Church. Ben lives in Saint Louis, is a little older than Wayne, and has been in remarkably good health. The two of them have been close friends for decades and he was eager to hear my report on Wayne’s condition.
When I related my conversation to Ben, he said, “Pat and I were just sitting at the table and talking about that very thing. We didn’t know how to pray for Wayne. I think that’s what we’ll do too. We’ll pray for him either to get completely well or pass away peaceably.”
Since I’m writing this at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday morning, I haven’t heard what Wayne’s night was like, or even if he’s still alive. I don’t know if it’s God’s will for him to live another few years or die today. But I do know this, he can say with assurance, “… the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
LATEST UPDATE ON WAYNE FROM JANA – Sunday 4:30 p.m.
“All his issues (renal failure etc.) are still there but his levels were so much better today that they have moved him from ICU to a regular room. He just started physical therapy and is now sitting in a recliner. He is still very weak but at this point we are just taking it one day at a time.”
