By Dr. John E. Morgan

Pastor–Collinsville Baptist Church

My mother-in-law passed away in January.  She had spent most of the last months of her life at our house with my amazing wife giving her constant loving care.  Physically she grew weaker and weaker and could do less and less.  Mentally she was little changed most of the time.  Still knew who we all were, still wanted to play with her great-grandchildren, was frustrated not to be able to cook and sew.

Sometimes when she slept, her dreams were very vivid.  We would hear her groaning.  Or hear her talking loudly.  My wife would check to be sure it was just a dream and would settle her mom down.

But sometimes Granny awoke convinced her dreams really had happened.  She was quite sure we should be concerned.  During the last couple of months she had one dream about someone breaking in our house and coming into her room.  My wife tried to calm her down. Told her it was just a dream.  Granny would not change her story.  Someone had broken into the house.  My wife finally gave up on it.

I tried a different tack.  I asked her how she was.  “Gloria won’t believe me.”  “Granny, what doesn’t she believe?”  “She doesn’t believe a man broke into the house.”   “Really?  Did you see him?”  “Yes I did”, she assured me with determined eyes shining out of her beautifully wrinkled face as she lay in bed.

“Oh, my goodness.  That must have been really scary Granny.  What did you do?”

“I looked at him, and I said, ‘You get out of here’”

“Wow.  That was really brave Granny.  What did he do?”

“He left.  He turned around a left.”  She rose up a bit in bed.

“Granny, that’s amazing.  You know what I’m going to do?  If anybody else breaks into the house, I’m going to send them in here to you.  I want you to make them leave.”

She looked at me hard, probably aware that I was kidding a little, but then she shook her head a little and said, “You do that.  I’ll make them leave.”  And then she settled down and went to sleep.

The idea of her defending us is a little crazy.  Turning 96.  Not able to get herself out of bed.  And if she got out, not able to stand up.  But she was really most sincerely ready to fight off intruders for us.  And I am convinced she would have done everything she could to protect us to her last breath.

Of course, we would have fought them ourselves before that to protect her.  Especially my wife.  They really were two mama bears protecting each other and all their loved ones.

Granny could not have fought off an intruder.  But she would have tried.  She was a great warrior.  We miss her a lot.  We miss her fighting for us.

You see, she could not have fought off an intruder.  But she knew who could truly protect us.  Granny was one of the greatest prayer warriors who ever lived.  Over and over she carried each one in her family to the Lord in prayer. Not able to get on her knees.  Able to fervently pray.  Knowing we were only safe in God’s hands.

We miss her.  And the certainty of her prayers.  Do you have a mama or grandmamma who is a prayer warrior?  How fortunate you are.  You need to thank her.

Our prayer warrior is in heaven.  In a place with no scary intruders.  A place with only good dreams.  That always come true.  We are thankful for her peace.  We miss her.