The Power Of Praise by Shara Bueler-Repka “Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.” (Psalm 21:13 NKJV) Nursing homes are never an easy place to be. Many times, they are the last destination for ones that have lived a fairly long life. Most residents are not in the minds they once knew, and all ail from one sickness or another. Bruce’s 93-year-old grandmother had been in a nursing home for quite some time. No longer able to stay with her family because of medical issues, she became a permanent resident. Bruce, my mother-in-law Betty, and I made our way to the secured area of the facility where she lived. She sat in her wheelchair, absently staring at the floor. As we approached her, she looked up, sheer delight spreading across her face. We hugged and kissed her, wheeling her into the little living room reserved for private family visits. Although happy to be sitting there together, our conversation started to get a bit strained. Grandma was hard of hearing, couldn’t talk very well, and suffered from memory loss. Long silences filled the gaps in our conversation. There had to be some way of communicating together. Suddenly, I felt the Lord impressing upon me to sing. However, I choked up with emotion as I fumbled around for a starting point. I sensed the impression again, urging me to continue.
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Pulling myself together, I asked, “Can we sing?” With great relief, all three of us plunged in, enthusiastically singing out the old familiar hymns: Amazing Grace; What A Friend We Have In Jesus; How Great Thou Art. Grandma’s face lit up and away she went! The strain was chased from her face as she sang with us at the top of her voice. The wheelchair seemed to melt away. We were all lifted up and out of that nursing home to a familiar and happy place where communication gaps and sickness don’t exist. For those moments, we enjoyed the same space and the same time. Intrigued, I watched her joyfully expounding on every word. She remembered the words! —words she had sung long ago that had been tucked away in silent rooms somewhere in the recesses of her mind. The melodies of those old hymns led her heart straight to those rooms, unlocking them like special keys to forgotten doors. Apparently, the singing from our little room wafted through the entire wing of the nursing home, and more than one heart was unlocked that day. The nurses still talk about it. God’s presence and joy had a profound effect on patients and staff alike.
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