At different times and places of our lives, we can experience the power
of prayer..........for ourselves or for others. My life has been greatly
affected by the prayers of others on my behalf, and on the behalf of significant
people in my life. Because of that I am led to share with
as many people as possible, the person of Jesus Christ, His plan for each
of us, and His promises for us.
I was fortunate to be born to a woman who, once she found Christ, lived
her life for Him day by day. No matter what the odds were against
her, she never quit trusting Him nor praising Him. Her life was not
all a bed of roses, and she had many health problems. In spite of
the difficulties she encountered, she was able to make her life count for
Jesus - she influenced and helped many people along the way. I would
like to dedicate this page to her memory, and to her Lord and Saviour,
Jesus Christ.
Marjorie Munro, as she was known as I grew up, was a loving, energetic,
cheerful woman. When Christ came into her life, all those qualities
became even more pronounced! She worked with Girl Scouts for many.
many years, loving literally hundreds of young girls. Many of them
came to know the Lord through her influence and example. She worked
in her home church as choir director, member, Sunday School teacher, Vacation
Bible School director, as well as Bible study leader for several different
groups. She had a wonderful skill in organizing activities and groups,
and all the while, instilling an atmosphere of love and fun. No one
who knew her could say they never heard her laugh! She loved to laugh
and to sing, and I'm sure, that she's in heaven singing to heart's content
She no longer is troubled with heart pain, or shortness of breath, or fatigue.
She became widowed at the age of 51, and even that never slowed her
steps in following Jesus. She continued to serve in all the capacities
she always had, just modifying her activities and time to fit her physical
abilities. She remarried a few years later, and became Marjorie MacPherson.
New people and places entered her life...and many new experiences.
She began to do the traveling she'd always dreamed of, and all along the
way, made many friends, again, influencing them for Christ. Her life
was a model of Christ, so those who came to know her always were blessed.
The last few years of her life were wracked with pain and fatigue, as
her heart condition grew worse and worse. She had several surgeries,
and though none were without complications, she continued to praise her
God. The nurses and doctors that cared for her were without exception
amazed, and marveled at her faith - and by her unexplained recovery! When she
had open heart surgery for a quadruple bypass, she experienced so many
complications, we were told she probably had a massive stroke, and would
be affected by it if she survived. Praise God, she left that hospital
with no affects of that massive stroke. God was the only answer her
physicians could give. Needless to say, she was not forgotten
there, nor was her God.
When she became too ill to live at home, and I was unable to care for
her, she was marvelously cared for by friends and other family members.
It broke my heart that I, a nurse, was not physically able to care for
my own mother. We had been so close throughout all of our lives,
that it didn't seem fair that I couldn't be the one to help her through
this "experience." But that was not part of God's plan.
Although I know it hurt her, too, she never complained that I couldn't
help anymore than I did. I didn't understand at the time that the
work I was doing for her was part of the same work she had done for me
for years. It was unseen work, yet as important as all the visible
work others did. God, in His miraculous way, had prepared the way
for her. When she went into the nursing home, knowing she probably
would die there, she was not among strangers. Most of the staff
there had been influenced by her at some time in their lives. Nurses
were women she'd taught as Girl Scouts, or Sunday School children.
Secretaries and orderlies had the same story. If they hadn't known
her as children they had worked with her or been taught by her as adults.
I was amazed, yet not surprised.
It wasn't until months after her death, that I saw God's hand in that.
These people, too, were given an opportunity to give back to her the love
she had shown them. And because she was in the nursing home, many
people were able to visit her that could not at her home. She even
knew many of the other residents there, because of the time she spent visiting
them. Her brothers and their wives were able to spend this
time with her, as was my brother and his wife. She was surrounded
by love.....and I, in my selfishness, was heartbroken that I wasn't with
them all the time.
My job, though, was to be in my home praying for her. God had
me in a physical condition that kept me inactive......what else could I
do? And why did I not realize how valuable that time was? The world
blinds us to the importance of prayer...because it is not a visible act.
So, I prayed for her constantly; for God to keep her safe and loved and
unafraid. I also prayed that those around her would continue to be
blessed by her. I didn't pray this because I knew to do it - the
Holy Spirit led me there. As I was praying one day, I suddenly
felt her presence leave . I had an instant of deep sorrow I've never
felt before, and then immediately, the sound of thousand of voices singing
"How Great Thou Art," her favorite song. When my brother
called shortly after that to tell me she had passed away, I had cried
my tears and was rejoicing for her.
I now understand the importance of the prayer time I had for her.
I realize she did much the same for me throughout my life - just as I do
for my children. Intercessory prayer is not an idle task. It
requires energy and commitment. I am committed to passing on to as
many people as I can what God teaches me in this area.
Please join me in prayer by emailing me , pray for others,
and experience the prayers of others for you. You will be blessed
- and amazed!
Thank you so much for joining me here - and please let me know you came.
Many of her friends were kind
enough to share their memories of her with me, and I'll be adding their
pages .
Christ led us in example for prayer, and we have His Word to not only
teach us how to pray, but to encourage us to follow His example. Life without
prayer is a life without an aspect of His marvelous power!