When my mother was a little girl, she lived through some extraordinary experiences that can only be described as miraculous.
She grew up in a rural area of Mexico in the 1920’s. The family farm was far removed from any city and she and her siblings grew up quite isolated. Except for the occasional visits to a relative’s home, or an event in one of the scattered farms, social occasions were rare. About once a year her father would load the family into an old oxcart and make the long, difficult trip into town to attend church. This was my mother’s favorite occasion. She loved to go to church because from the time she could remember, she had a special awareness of a heavenly Father and she longed to serve Him. Most of all she loved the hymns that they sang in church. Oh, how she loved to sing those hymns!
Many times in the evening after all the chores were done, her father would spend time with the children, teaching them the old favorite hymns. My mother treasured those moments. She would memorize the hymns and sing them softly to herself later when she needed comforting.
One day as she and her sister played in the grove, she suddenly stopped and said, “Hush, sis! Listen!” Her sister listened but could not hear anything. My mother was hearing sounds of a beautiful choir that was singing music like she had never heard before and has never heard since. She stood mesmerized as if in a trance, as she allowed the beauty of this ethereal music to fill her soul. There is no possibility that she was hearing sounds from a nearby cathedral, because their farm was in a remote area, with no churches or buildings for miles around. I sincerely believe that God was giving her a glimpse of heaven.
None as Beautiful as Heavenly Choir
Through her early years this incident occurred several times and each time no one could hear the music but her. My mother has heard many beautiful choirs as an adult, but never as beautiful as that heavenly choir.
Not long ago, as I sat next to her in the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, I asked her how the glorious music we were hearing compared to the music she used to hear as a child, and she answered that though she has heard many magnificent choirs as an adult, no sound seems to come close to the concerts that God allowed her to hear as a little girl who longed with all her heart to know God and to serve Him. Surely, God in His mercy saw fit to bring hope and comfort to a precious little girl when she needed Him most.
When I hear Mom tell of that heavenly choir, I feel a longing in my heart to hear that music with my own ears as I kneel before His throne and worship Him.
“Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God” (Luke 2:13,14).
