Tho’ It’s Midnight - chronic illness and faith
Life with chronic illness.
So many times our society looks down on chronic illness. We do this in one of two ways.
- We tell the chronically ill person that it's a lack of faith and that's why their sick or
- We send them scripture and books about healing.
Let me tell you why both of these options are wrong.
When you're chronically sick the last thing you want to hear is that it's your fault because you have a lack of faith. That my friends, isn't true. Plain and simple. There are stories in the Bible of people who had a very strong faith who were chronically sick. I'll get to that more in a minute.
Second, when someone you know either a friend or family member is battling a chronic illness, the worst thing you can do is send them verses and books about healing. That can really discourage and devastate the person. Because if their sole focus becomes healing and it doesn't happen, and they keep getting their hopes up and they are let down time and time again, that's one of the most devastating things.
I've been there, I know. I've been dealing with chronic health issues my whole life. I've had several surgeries and tried all kinds of different remedies. Each time I would think that finally we have found the ticket and now I'll be healthy, only to be let down each time. This led to bouts of depression.
There are stories of people in the Bible who got sick or had a chronic illness who weren't healed. Not because it was a lack of faith but because it was part of God's bigger plan.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.
There is a song by Ron Hamilton called "Tho It's Midnight" and this song so we'll expresses this thought.
My favorite line of the song is this "There are times the pain seems endless and my suffering seems so wrong, but my Savior bears each sorrow and He gives to me a song…...though my body's held in shackles, Christ has set my spirit free. Chains are broken, doors fly open, tho it's midnight."
This song talks about the story of Paul and Silas in the Phillippian prison. Instead of asking God why, or asking for strength to endure the trial, they were singing praises to God at midnight. During the worst part of the suffering. Ron Hamilton did a sermon back in 2009 called "Songs of Praise"
and he talks about the blessings of trials. I will be using notes from his sermon throughout this post.
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands...
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into
His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and
bless His name. For the Lord is good;..”
- Psalm 100:1-2,
Ephesians 5:18-19,
Colossians 3:16
"We often don’t sing the praises of the Lord when we’re surrounded by green pastures and still waters. The blessings of trials is that it teaches us to sing the praises of the Lord."
That is so true. I've seen God's blessings more in the hard times than when times are easy and good.
I'll mention this more in a minute.
"We often forget to sing the praises of the Lord because life is hard. At times there are bad things that happen that we don’t understand. We’ll never understand or have God’s explanation till we get to heaven."
This is so true. We just have to trust Him to work everything out for good. I know that's easier said than done. We often wonder why God allows people we love to get a devastating illness, whether physical or mental. These are things we will never have God's explanation for until we get to heaven. We just have to trust God and know that Satan was the one that brought sin, sickness, sorrow and death into this world. God is always only good.
This reminds me of the story of Job. Job was a blessed man. He feared God and ran from evil. Job had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He also had 7000 sheep, 3000 camel's, 500 oxen, 500 donkeys. And a great household. He was the greatest man in the east.
But one day Satan came to God and God said to Satan, "have you considered my servant Job?"
Satan replied "does Job fear God for not? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? Thou has blessed the work of his hands, and his substance has increased in the lands.
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face."
The Lord said to Satan "behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand."
God was basically giving Satan permission to take away everything that Job had but not to touch his body. So Satan took away everything that Job had.
Job's sons were celebrating one of the boys birthday and the house collapsed and Job's family was killed.
One servant after another came to Job and told Job that his family was killed, his animals were killed.
Then Job went out, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshipped.
Job said "the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." In all this Job didn't sin with his lips.
Then one day Satan comes back to God and God says "hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him without cause."
Satan answered the Lord "skin for skin, yea all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face."
God said back to Satan "behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life."
Satan caused Job to get boils from head to toe.
Then his wife comes to him and says "dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die." Job says to her "thou speaketh like one of the foolish women. Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips."
Then Job's three friends came to him and sat quietly with him for a week. Then they started accusing Job falsely. They told him all this was happening because he is such a wicked man and he's been hiding it all these years. Job kept telling them he was innocent.
God asks Job "who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"
Job starts questioning God.
Then God goes at Job for 4 chapters.
At the end of the book of Job, Job says to God "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seethe thee. Wherefore, I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
In Job chapter 42, God calls Job his servant 4 times.
God goes to Job's three friends and says "my wrath is kindled against thee, and thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
Therefore take unto you now 7 Bullocks and 7 Rams and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before."
"So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:"
God doubled everything that Job had.
"For he had 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 oxen, 1000 sheasses."
God also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. God doubled Job's kids.
"After this Job lived an hundred and forty years, and saw his son's and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days."
God never gives Job the explanation of what was really going on in heaven between God and Satan.
Was what happened to Job a lack of faith? Of course not! We can see that God was testing Job.
Job 23:10 for when I am tried and purified, I shall come forth as gold.
"My life is supposed to be a song of praise so that others see. Psalm 40:3- “He hath put a new song in my mouth, Even praise unto our God. Many shall see Him.”
Acts 16:30- Paul and Silas were thrown in prison and at midnight they sang the praises of the Lord.
Even when Job lost everything, his animals, his family, he still worshipped God.
Christians who sing in prison cannot be in prison.
Phillippians 1:12-But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
What Paul is talking about here is having a thorn in his flesh. Some kind of health issue.
One problem that I run into a lot with having chronic health issues is being told by people that it's a lack of faith. That really bothers me because that couldn't be further from the truth. My faith has been strengthened because of my chronic health issues. God uses trials to keep us humble.
2nd Corinthians 12:7b- "and there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure."
Pastors especially, but people in general need to stop saying that chronic illness is a lack of faith because that simply isn't true.
At the end of Phillippians chapter 1 Paul says this: "Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me."
Paul is telling the Phillippians that he can relate to them because of what he deals with.
I have also found this to be true for myself. We all connect better with people when we find common ground.
Ron and Shelly Hamilton's youngest son Jonathan got some mental illness when he was 18 from an acne medication his dermatologist put him on. He battled it for 15 years and then in 2013 he passed away. His illness was not a lack of faith. It was an unforeseen reaction to a medication.
Ron Hamilton has been battling dementia for at least 10 years. It's genetic. It's not a lack of faith. I've never known anyone with a stronger faith than Ron and Shelly Hamilton.
People can relate to the Hamilton's because of what they've been through. That's what makes their Ministry Majesty Music so special. God can use any trial for good.
Fanny Crosby was blinded as an infant but went on to write so many of our hymns.
Fanny Crosby- "God gave me spiritual vision instead of physical vision, and what a blessing it's been."
Fanny tried to find the doctor that blinded her. She never was able to find him. People asked her why she wanted to find him. She said because she wanted to thank him for the way that God used him in her life. She said if she had had physical vision she would have been so distracted by the things of this world. But as it was, God instead gave her spiritual vision to see him, and what a blessing it's been.
If Fanny Crosby had not been blinded as an infant we wouldn't have most of the hymns that we have today.
God took what looked like a tragedy and turned it into a blessing for Fanny and thousands of other people.
Just because we have a chronic illness or some kind of disability it doesn't mean that it's a lack of faith.
Helen Keller couldn’t speak, see or hear. At the end of her life she said this: “The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive and God like.Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet, only through experiences of trial and suffering.” -Helen Keller.
A chronic illness or disability gives us empathy.
"God often hurts us to draw us close to Him, to get us on our knees and to get us to realize where the real power is."- Ron Hamilton
Ron Hamilton lost his left eye to cancer back in 1978 and God took what looked like it was going to be a tragedy and turned it into one of the greatest blessings of his life. He's very thankful that God took his eye because it's been a huge blessing to him and so many others. Through the loss of his eye that's what started the Patch the Pirate ministry. I don't know where I'd be today without Ron and Shelly Hamilton. Here's Ron's testimony video if you haven't seen it.
I could relate to him because of the eye problems that I dealt with for so many years. I have a connection with Ron that I don't have with any other christian artists. Why? Because of the eye problems that I dealt with for years. We have common ground.
2nd Corinthians 4:17- “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
"Christians who sing in prison have God’s special attention."
Psalm 34:15,18 “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry…The Lord is ny unto them who are of a broken heart;”
So many times when I'm down and frustrated with being sick all the time God will give me little blessings to keep me going and to show me that He cares and He knows how I feel. God has done so many things to show me His presence and that He's always with me. He's been very real to me, especially in my darkest days.
"Sometimes life is a sweet line of a violin.
Sometimes it’s a melancholy line of an Oboe. Sometimes it’s a symbol crash.
The master Composer, Conductor knows what He’s doing."
"Sometimes in life there is a symbol crash.
It doesn’t make sense. It seems at a strange time.
Yet, the Conductor knew just when it was coming.
Our lives are like a symphony,
written by the Master Composer.
The Great Conductor. God of heaven.
As we look at our lives we don’t make sense of it.
I’m trying to read it and do my best and watch the
Conductor. Watch the Conductor."
"Christians who sing in prison transform their
prison into a pulpit. Out of evil men trying to
stop the message, a church is born, because
Paul and Silas are singing praises at midnight.
Horatio Spafford wrote “It Is Well” right after his
daughters were killed.
Ron Hamilton wrote the song "Rejoice in the Lord" right after he lost his eye to cancer to tell how God took a tragedy and turned it into a great blessing.
Joy is perfected in suffering.
Hebrews 12:2
“Who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame,..”
Song: The Greatest Story Ever Told
I love how Adam Morgan puts it. He describes it like this. He starts off by saying that he and his wife, Megan (Princess Pirate, Ron and Shelly's youngest daughter) were trying to think what to write for the new patch adventure for 2016 and they were watching a Disney princess movie with their little niece. The moral of the story really bothered him. Because what does Disney teach our kids? Follow your heart. That's not truth. So he got the idea to write a princess story where the princess doesn't follow her heart she does what's right instead. Megan's pirate name happens to be "princess" so oh that's convenient (thanks Patch/Ron) so he brought princess pirate back and she has to learn truth and not follow her heart. Adam was thinking what's one of the best ways to communicate a truth? A story. Everybody loves a good story.
He got thinking what makes a good story. Every story has the same elements. A villian, a hero, some kind of plight of curse that has to be overcome. It struck him that there's no story like the gospel. You have the ultimate villian, Satan, who wants everyone to die and go to hell and wallow in misery with him forever. That's evil incarnate. The gospel story starts out with us being cursed in sin. But then you have the hero. You have God on high, the king, who looks down and sees the plight of man and sends His only begotten son to come down to rescue man by dying. The ultimate sacrifice. So that we could have eternal life with Him. He didn't stay dead, He conquered death, He rose again. And it's not just a story. It's gospel truth.
I like this quote from the Patch adventure Operation Arctic. "Once there was a King. This King was the Son of God. But even though He was equal with God, He gave us a wonderful example. He humbled Himself and came down to earth as a man. He chose to obey God, His Father, even though it meant death. And that death was for us."
He had to go to the cross first and the joy came after.
If you read my earlier posts you'll recognize the name of this next song. It's called "It's Friday, But Sunday's Comin" by Ron Hamilton
This song really expresses this thought very well.
Don’t dread the trial, sing praises."
Guitar illustration- "When your stringing up a
guitar and putting stress and tension on
those strings, sometimes strings snap. Under
all that pressure, trial, suffering that you’re
putting that string through. The only way to
get that string to sing, is to put the pressure
on it. What allows those strings to sing?
The tension, the pressure, the stress."
Song-Rejoice In The Lord
I love this quote by Robert Browning Hamilton
"I walked a mile with pleasure,
She chatted all the way.
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow,
Not a word said she.
But oh the things I learned from God,
When sorrow walked with me."
"I'm thankful for the good times, but the times when we really learn to walk with God is in the valley." - Ron Hamilton
As a society we put our identity in earthly things and when we get sick or have a chronic illness we question God and think why is God doing this to me and that's when we find where our true identity rests.
My faith has been strengthened because of my chronic health issues.
I wouldn't change it for anything. I've found where my true identity rests.
Sometimes it's not God's plan to heal us.
Shelly had dreams of Jonathan taking over Majesty Music one day. But that wasn't God's plan. If Jonathan had taken over Majesty, I might not have gotten to see Ron, and the Patch adventures might have stopped years ago. But because that didn't happen, because God brought Adam Morgan into the picture, the ministry is still going and I was able to see Ron not once but twice!! All because God brought Adam Morgan into the Hamilton family to continue the amazing Majesty Music ministry that Ron and Shelly started.
Thank you Ron and Shelly Hamilton for being spiritual and musical mentors to me. Thank you for being an amazing example of Godly Christian people who still praise and trust God in the midst of trials.
Ron, your sermons, seminar sessions, music, and the Patch adventures have taught me the Bible in a way that I could understand it. Thank you for making the Bible real, relatable, personal, and simple for me for the first time in my life. I’m a life that was changed because of you and your ministry.
You leave behind an amazing legacy. You will never know this side of heaven the full impact you’ve had on the world. Thank you for letting me see Jesus in you.