Pastor Has His Own Lazarus Story

Mark Morrow, a pastor, just knocked out a time on the treadmill better than any he had since high school. Even though he was a day away from turning 58, he was in the best shape of his life. And then at 5:15 am, he was dead. Victim of a massive heart attack. Those at the gym performed emergency CPR as they waited for paramedics. First Responders found Mark completely lifeless.

“He was completely gone at that point,” said Landon Morrow, Mark’s son. “There’s a paramedic straddling over top of him, slamming on his chest, trying to get some sort of response.”

The EMTs had to shock Mark’s chest six times before they got a pulse. While trying to jumpstart his heart, they scorched his chest. But while they were able to resuscitate Mark, they weren’t able to intubate him. For 33 minutes, both on the floor and in the ambulance, Mark was without oxygen. He flatlined, twice, on the way to the hospital.

“There was no life in his body at that point,” said Landon. “And that was probably the hardest sight to see through the whole experience.”

The ICU staff revived Mark and placed him on a ventilator. But there was only so much they could do, so they airlifted him to a Level Two Trauma Center twenty miles away. 

“We were thinking this could be the last time we see our dad,” said Landon.

Landon and his mother, Pam Morrow, followed behind in their car. Shell-shocked, they prayed for Mark’s healing. “The prayer at that point was just a prayer of desperation,” said Pam. “God spare him. Save his life. Don’t let this be the end.”

Mark was placed in a medically induced coma. Doctors told his family that he might not wake up. Even if he did, the time spent without oxygen made it likely that Mark would suffer significant brain damage.

“That was a very hard conversation,” said Landon. “I appreciate that doctor telling us the truth, but it was hard to hear that.”

Landon and his family kept crying out to God on Mark’s behalf. The following morning – Mark’s birthday – Pam says she felt the Holy Spirit speaking to her.

“The Holy Spirit said, ‘Just stand,’” Pam said. “And I knew that I could stand on who He was: He was the healer. He was in control.”

“And from that point on, we were going to believe that God was going to heal my dad,” said Landon. “We were going to believe that God was going to bring him back to us. Everything was going to be okay.”

Outside the hospital, members of Mark’s church gathered for a time of praise and worship. Other congregants hosted prayer meetings in their homes. “Seeing the faith of the people of our church and the people of the community was such a comfort to us,” said Landon. “It encouraged us and it caused our faith to rise up.”

The prayers continued throughout the week. Then, at about 72 hours after the initial heart attack, the doctor called Mark’s name. To everyone’s surprise, he opened his eyes.

“It was kind of like a Lazarus Moment,” said Pam. “I knew at that moment he was going to be raised up.”

A few days later, Mark was awake and alert. When Pam told him what had happened. Mark scrawled out, “God must not be finished with me yet.” 
That morning, he was up and able to watch church online. That day, the doctor told him the unbelievable news. Mark had no signs of brain damage or any sort of residual damage to his heart. In fact, they expected a full recovery.

“It could only have happened by the healing touch of our Great Healer,” said Pam.

Not even ten days after he dropped dead, Mark was cleared to go home.
 “Right before he was released, the ICU doctor looked at my dad in the eyes and said, ‘You are a miracle,'” said Landon.

Just a few weeks later, against all odds, Mark returned to the pulpit. “I know Jesus healed me,” said Mark. “He touched me.”


Since then, Mark’s church has hosted Encounter Nights where he and his staff pray for healing. “Everyone wants to know the story,” said Mark. “You’re the ‘Miracle Man.’ If he can heal you, I’m sure he can heal someone else that we know. And so we pray for them and lay hands on them and see them healed.

These days, Mark is thankful to be back with his family and his church. He’s even back in the gym. He’s since completed the work to get his doctorate. And he’s grateful for God giving him the second chance. “God is not finished with me yet,” he said.