But Robert Morris is alive.
A fact that he attributes to the prayers of believers and the quick thinking of skilled medical professionals. While in the helicopter, Morris recalls feeling a strange mixture of emotions, none of which were negative. “The Lord’s presence filled the helicopter and I felt like I was going to go to heaven,” Morris explains. Not only was he not scared, he was “extremely peaceful.”
The lack of fear and the presence of peace didn’t surprise him, though. What did surprise him was the happiness and the excitement he felt over the prospect of seeing Jesus. When he thought about his family and his congregation, he knew he would be missed, but also knew that God would take care of them. Additionally, Morris said he knew it would only be a short time until he saw them again in heaven. He described feeling this way about his young grandchildren, as well, as if all sense of time had left him for the moment. Recalling his thoughts in the helicopter to his son-in-law, who is also on staff at Gateway, Morris said he felt like he experienced eternity for a moment.
The brush with death verified three things to Morris—things he had known before but have been reinforced to him lately:
- Spiritual warfare is real.
Robert Morris says he thanks God for medical professionals, but also believes prayer was a crucial factor in his survival. “There are people who blame everything on the devil,” he warns. However, we also have a tendency to let logic distract us from the fact that the enemy is actively working against us. “I think [the enemy] was trying to kill me.” Morris says this is why Jesus taught us to do spiritual warfare every day with the Lord’s Prayer. Every day as we ask God for food and shelter, we should also remember the words about delivering us from the “evil one.” - God answers prayer.
Morris believes the reason the doctor told him there was “no medical reason why you’re still alive today” is because of prayer. He thanked the congregation for praying for Debbie, who had a supernatural peace that God was going to take care of Morris. - God is in control.
Morris recounts the supporters all over the world who told him they were praying for him. Morris learned of a meeting in India that lasted for 10 hours. In Guatemala, 12,000 people showed up to pray for him. He said these accounts convinced him God was in control of the situation.
Robert Morris ended his message with an invitation to accept Christ.
After Morris’ harrowing brush with death, the church was inspired to coordinate a blood drive for congregants to donate blood during the service. Each campus will host the blood drive one weekend during the summer.
More About Robert Morris
Born: July 29, 1961, Marshall, TX
Spouse: Debbie Morris (m. 1980)
Organization founded: Gateway Church
