A Praying Saint
“Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Ps. 116:15
Last week I lost a supporter, a former Sunday School teacher, and a praying saint. She is being laid to rest today, at the age of 98 years old. I’m so thankful that on my last day in Maryland, I spent an hour visiting her. I knew that time would be significant, but I didn’t expect to lose her so quickly after returning to life overseas.
Miss Dorothy taught me Sunday School when I was about 5 years old. In fact, she taught all the five year olds of our church for generations, including my mother! She played the piano and taught us hymns. To this day, when I hear “Away in a Manger” I think of Dorothy Johnson who taught hundreds of children to sing that hymn for Christmas programs. She was a humble servant of the Lord. I never heard her raise her voice or saw her react in anger. And when working with young children, that’s pretty much as close to the nature of Jesus as you can get!
Even as I grew older, Dorothy cared for me. She supported me financially, but what touched my heart most was that she sent cards for my birthday or Christmas, more often than not with a $5 bill inside. I was always amazed that they made it all the way to various countries intact, but they did! Her writing was very distinctive, from a different era of education when cursive was more like calligraphy and penmanship was an art form. She wrote encouragement and prayers in those cards, and I’m thankful for that treasure. That’s a legacy that I appreciate so much: she was a praying saint. She prayed for me faithfully, and even when I visited her a few weeks ago, she reminded me that she was praying for me always. I know God will cover my needs financially, and He’ll cover me with His protection and care every day, too. But I still feel the loss of her prayers somehow.
I’m so thankful that she’s with the Lord now, reunited with loved ones and her Savior. Her life was well-lived, and her legacy will continue for generations to come. She invested into children who have gone on to be pastors, professors, parents of godly children, and even a few missionaries. She gave of herself so selflessly in our church and in our community, and I hope I can love Jesus and others as much as she did in her 98 years of life.