Mrs. Stephens, sister to Dr. Jack Hyles, has been in Heaven with her dear mother for many years now. This sweet story reminds us of the importance of having the Bible as a precious priority in our lives…

One of my mother’s favorite chapters in the Bible was Psalm 103. One night a few months before she went to Heaven, she asked if I would read this chapter to her. I read it to her, and she enjoyed it so much we began reading it to her each night before she went to sleep.

Just before she passed away, she lapsed into a coma. I continued to read Psalm 103 to her every night though she did not respond to my reading. One night as I was reading that chapter to her, I wondered if she could really hear me. So, I thought I would see if she could hear me. I started reading, “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his…forget not all his…his…”

As I acted like I didn’t know the next words in the verses, I glanced over at my mother. Despite the fact that she was in a coma, her little lips were trying valiantly to form the letter “b” in order to say the word “benefits.”

As I watched her try to help me, I said to myself, “Bless the Lord!” Yes, it was sweet for me to have the assurance that Mama could still hear me. How much sweeter it was to know that my mother loved the Word of God enough to memorize it. Still sweeter was the knowledge that even while comatose, Mama could still quote the Word of God! “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (Psalm 119:11)