His Truth Brings Peace: Sing unto the Lord

            On Monday nights, our church has Mission Night. People pray, write letters, visit people in the community, and sing hymns to the residents as the nursing homes. We often go sing as a family at the nursing home. We are not any of us great singers, but it doesn’t matter because that’s not what it is about. It is an opportunity to praise God in song as well as to bless the residents with the beautiful truth of God’s Word, presented through the hymns, and just to show them someone cares enough to visit them. I believe that this is a great way to honor our Savior.

            It is often sad to see residents in the depths of dementia or just the weakness that comes with age. I see the curse of sin about this earth, how our bodies deteriorate as we near death. We were created to live forever. Sin entered the world and with it death. Praise God that He sent Jesus to redeem us, to give us back eternal life, to not only forgive us for our disobedience but to step in and take our punishment that we might have His perfect righteousness. It isn’t too late for these people though. They can still hear God’s truth and be saved, not saved from an earthly death, but saved from an eternal death. They can walk from this life into His eternal glory with Jesus as the Savior. Many of them know Jesus, and they just need to be reminded of His love and comforted by His promises of Heaven. I love to sing that truth, to sing about the cross and about Glory.

            I was greatly blessed at the nursing home last night. I had silently prayed that this would be a time of worship and also bring comfort to the residents. Across the room I saw a woman struggling in her wheel chair, trying to get out. She had a strap on her so that she would not fall. I could see the distress on her face, the confusion, and the fear. I stood there and continued to sing, not sure if I should walk over there, not sure how I could help. As I saw her continue, I decided that I should go. I walked across and pushed her wheelchair up to table. She told me that she had to go home, that her mother wanted her home, that is was dangerous to stay out late. Oh the heartbreak that dementia brings. I tried to calmly tell her that I was going to sing some songs with her. She was panicking. I told her that she would be taken care of, that I was going to sing about Jesus. I stood there and began singing the hymn along with the others across the room. She started to calm and she closed her eyes. We sang a few songs, and I thought perhaps she had fallen asleep, but she looked up at me and said, “That’s so nice.” God was blessing her with peace through the hearing of those hymns. I continued to sing out the truth of those hymn (broken through tears), thinking of the great truth, praying it comforted her heart and another resident who looked panicked and needed this healing truth of Jesus. I sang to the other woman and smiled as I thought of my Savior and Heaven. She closed her eyes again and then would look up and smile. As we sang the last song, she was now beaming and singing along. I prayed for her to have peace as we left and she thanked us for coming. Oh the joy that filled my heart as I saw God’s mighty hand of love. Oh how I love my Savior and the truth of His Word.

            As I read my Bible after I returned home, I was reading in Psalms and hearing God speak about singing to Him, about how worthy is He, how great are His works, His love, His mercies, and also about Him not forsaking us in our old age. Oh how I cherish His Word and how He nourishes us by it and through it.  

“Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

Do not forsake me when my strength fails.”

Psalm 71:9