Years ago, I heard the remarkable story of a young soldier named Roger Simms. Roger had just been discharged and was hitchhiking home. A car pulled over. The man driving saw that Roger was in uniform and decided to give him a ride. His name was Mr. Hanover, a fifty-year-old businessman from Chicago.
Mr. Hanover rolled down the window. “I’m headed to Chicago,” he told the young G.I.
“Where are you headed?”
“My home’s on the way,” Roger responded with a smile, as he climbed in the car.
Along the way, Roger and Mr. Hanover talked about many things. Mr. Hanover told Roger about his business in Chicago. They spoke of their families.
Then the conversation turned to religion. Roger was a Christian. Mr.
Hanover wasn’t. Roger told Mr. Hanover about Jesus and how his faith had helped him so much during his time in the service.
Roger’s words touched Mr. Hanover’s heart. At one point, the businessman from Chicago pulled his car over. In tears, he thanked Roger for telling him just what he needed to hear. On that trip home, Mr. Hanover became a Christian.
After a couple of hours, Mr. Hanover dropped Roger off at his home. He gave Roger his card and told him that if he was ever in Chicago, to look him up.
Five years went by. Roger was now married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Mr. Hanover had given him.
When he arrived in Chicago, Roger went to Hanover Enterprises.
The receptionist apologized and told him that it would be impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could speak to Mrs.
Hanover if he liked.
Confused, Roger was ushered into a big office and greeted by a woman in her fifties.
“My husband passed away a few years ago,” Mrs. Hanover told Roger. “Did you know him?”
Roger told her the story of how her husband had given him a ride home five years earlier. Roger then shared with her the conversation they’d had about God and what Mr. Hanover told him.
“What day was it that my husband gave you a ride?” Mrs. Hanover asked, tears filling her eyes.
“May 7th,” Roger told her.
Mrs. Hanover slumped over her desk, now sobbing. “May 7th,” she said, “was the day my husband died in a car accident not far from our home. You were probably the last person to speak to him.” Fighting back the tears, she continued, “For years, I prayed for my husband, but he wanted nothing to do with God or church. I prayed every day that he would become a believer. When he died, I gave up on God. I stopped praying.”
Never stop praying.
Do you have someone in your life who doesn’t believe in Jesus or has gotten away from God and church?
Pray for them.
Every day. God is listening.
Pastor Andrew Schroer has been a pastor for over 25 years and is currently serving at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Edna, Texas.
You can find his latest books, “364 Days of Thanksgiving” and “364 Days of Devotion,” on Amazon.com.
