A Mountain Girl’s Triumph

Song: “He Has Made Me Glad”

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).

In her childhood in the late 1920s, Leona Bruce and her family were “land poor” people who lived, much like the pioneers, with no plumbing or electricity in the Appalachian mountain region. They grew their own food, which, in the harsh climate and rocky soil of the mountains, came at a cost of hard labor.

When I met Leona in 2001, she told me her story.

“I worked long hours, along with my brothers and sisters and our parents, just to survive. At age 13, I was one of eleven children. To make matters worse, my father was a strict disciplinarian who would severely discipline us for the smallest matter that caused him displeasure. As a small, sensitive child, I developed a spirit of fear that shaped my life. Our father, who never hugged us or displayed any affection toward us, once saw me sucking my thumb and threatened to cut it off with a razor. It frightened me almost beyond words.

“We often lacked proper clothes for those cruel winters in the mountains. My mother, a godly woman, was our only source of encouragement. Since my sister and I were older, to help her we would care for the babies who were coming one after the other. We loved that part of our work.

“After graduating from high school, in order to make a living, I made my way to the factories of Detroit, Mich. I spent three years in defense plants and from there went on to college to train to be a beautician.

“I moved to California and, after a short engagement, married Robert Von Brethorst, with whom I had two children, a son and a daughter. Robert left us when the oldest was not yet three years of age. His only financial contribution to our survival was some rent money. I was once again thrown into a state of fear and depression, not knowing how I would be able to care for my children.

“My son became very ill, and during the sickness I bargained with God by saying, ‘God, if you will heal my child, I’ll give you the rest of my life.’ The Lord healed my son, and I was delivered from the spirit of fear. Not long after that, I was called into a ministry of prayer, which I still participate in to this day.

“After my children were grown, I began to write songs and poems and spend a great deal of time in prayer and fasting. One day, after reading 2 Chronicles 5:11-14, where the glory of the Lord came down into the midst of the children of Israel during the dedication of the temple, I prayed, ‘Lord, if you would do that for a people who were still under the Old Testament law, what would happen if we had the Holy Spirit in our lives today?’ Then I prayed from Scripture, ‘Lord, I will enter your gates with thanksgiving in my heart and go into your courts with praise.’”

Leona went on until she had finished a song based on Psalm 100 and Psalm 118:24. She continued, “Shortly afterward, I sang the song to our Sunday school class at Bethany Chapel, where I was attending. As I did so, I felt that the whole of me was being lifted. My song has now gone around the world, and my provision has been far beyond anything I ever expected or dreamed.”

Leona never learned to play any kind of musical instrument. She told me that Doug Hamblin, an organist at the church, wrote out the music for her so that she might present it to a publisher. Maranatha Music published her song and has seen it used in an exceptional manner, blessing the hearts of millions of Christians. The royalties Maranatha has sent to Leona have provided for much of her living expenses during the past 30 years, even though “He Has Made Me Glad” is her only published song.

Reflection: In 2 Chronicles 5, when the children of Israel lifted their voices to praise and thank the Lord, then and only then did He manifest His glory in their presence.

© 2008 by Lindsay Terry. Used by permission.

Lindsay Terry has been a song historian for more than 40 years, and has written widely on the background of great hymns and worship songs including the books I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (2008), from which this piece is excerpted, and The Sacrifice of Praise (2002).