Prayer At Midnight
Stories
Shining Moments
Visions Of The Holy In Ordinary Lives
Prayer At Midnight
One night, a number of years ago, I woke up with a start, almost as if someone had called me, and I sat up in bed. I saw that it was midnight and that my husband was sound asleep, so I lay back down. But as soon as I did, the name Addie Gordon popped into my mind, and I felt I was to pray for her.
Realizing it must have been the Lord prompting me to pray for Addie, I asked, "Why should I pray for her, dear Lord? I scarcely know her; I only met her once when she was home on furlough from her missionary work in Taiwan."
Then, I remembered the advice our Bible teacher had recently given us. She said, "When the Holy Spirit brings someone's name to mind, pray for that person. Pray specifically if you know the need. If not, pray that the Lord will meet the need the person has."
Still a bit puzzled, I prayed, "Dear Lord Jesus, I don't know Miss Gordon's need. But you know, so please meet whatever need she has. If she's ill, let her get well. If she's in danger, guard and protect her, Father, and keep her safe from harm. Amen."
After that, I felt at peace and was able to go back to sleep.
Several years later, Addie came home on furlough. At a luncheon, which our Bible club gave for her, I related the "prayer at midnight" incident to her.
Addie became extremely excited and asked, "When was that?" As we pinpointed the time, she said, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That was the time a terrible typhoon struck in the small city southeast of Taipei where our mission compound is located. It broke the dam, and the river began flooding.
"The river was only about 200 yards from my house, which began shaking around noon, midnight your time, as the water came in. I had no way to get to higher ground as the water was about three feet high and swirling and rising rapidly. I grabbed my small Bible, opened the top part of my door and called out, 'Chiu ming, chiu ming -- save me, save me!'
"A young naval officer who often came to the compound to interpret for us had left a while before and was at a bus stop on his way back to the naval base. But suddenly he had a strong impression, 'God wants me to go back to the mission.' So he hurried back, heard me calling, and replied, 'I'm coming, Miss Gordon!'
"He quickly got a boat and rowed me to the top of the hill to safety. It took several weeks for the water to recede. When it was low enough that we could get into the house, we had to take my things out and dry them on the roof as the ground was still very soggy.
"Marjorie, I'll be forever grateful that the Lord awakened you at midnight and that you obeyed his urging to pray for me. I truly believe it was your prayer that saved me. So, whenever the Lord urges you to pray for someone, do it immediately!"
One night, a number of years ago, I woke up with a start, almost as if someone had called me, and I sat up in bed. I saw that it was midnight and that my husband was sound asleep, so I lay back down. But as soon as I did, the name Addie Gordon popped into my mind, and I felt I was to pray for her.
Realizing it must have been the Lord prompting me to pray for Addie, I asked, "Why should I pray for her, dear Lord? I scarcely know her; I only met her once when she was home on furlough from her missionary work in Taiwan."
Then, I remembered the advice our Bible teacher had recently given us. She said, "When the Holy Spirit brings someone's name to mind, pray for that person. Pray specifically if you know the need. If not, pray that the Lord will meet the need the person has."
Still a bit puzzled, I prayed, "Dear Lord Jesus, I don't know Miss Gordon's need. But you know, so please meet whatever need she has. If she's ill, let her get well. If she's in danger, guard and protect her, Father, and keep her safe from harm. Amen."
After that, I felt at peace and was able to go back to sleep.
Several years later, Addie came home on furlough. At a luncheon, which our Bible club gave for her, I related the "prayer at midnight" incident to her.
Addie became extremely excited and asked, "When was that?" As we pinpointed the time, she said, "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! That was the time a terrible typhoon struck in the small city southeast of Taipei where our mission compound is located. It broke the dam, and the river began flooding.
"The river was only about 200 yards from my house, which began shaking around noon, midnight your time, as the water came in. I had no way to get to higher ground as the water was about three feet high and swirling and rising rapidly. I grabbed my small Bible, opened the top part of my door and called out, 'Chiu ming, chiu ming -- save me, save me!'
"A young naval officer who often came to the compound to interpret for us had left a while before and was at a bus stop on his way back to the naval base. But suddenly he had a strong impression, 'God wants me to go back to the mission.' So he hurried back, heard me calling, and replied, 'I'm coming, Miss Gordon!'
"He quickly got a boat and rowed me to the top of the hill to safety. It took several weeks for the water to recede. When it was low enough that we could get into the house, we had to take my things out and dry them on the roof as the ground was still very soggy.
"Marjorie, I'll be forever grateful that the Lord awakened you at midnight and that you obeyed his urging to pray for me. I truly believe it was your prayer that saved me. So, whenever the Lord urges you to pray for someone, do it immediately!"
