I was cold and hungry lying on the table in a freezing operating room. I was waiting for the oncological surgeon to do a lumpectomy on me. I had two needles sticking out of my chest to point the surgeon to where to operate on. I had been waiting for at least an hour or could be more – I can’t remember coz this was in 2009.
What was in my mind? How should a person with suspiciously malignant cells in her think and feel? I was not happy because the doctor was late. It was not easy to be patient under such circumstances. The last meal I had was more than 12 hours before. The room was cold. There was no one to chat with. So what did I do? I sang in my mind or maybe aloud but softly – all the verses of the hymn Day by Day. It didn’t matter that the lines were mixed up in the verses.
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.
This song helped me go through the journey of a cancer patient – to be patient and at peace when circumstances were not easy. Why this day along the memory lane? Today, I read of two other persons in the Bible who also sang in their far-from-ideal situation. While I sang in the O.R., they sang in prison. They were beaten and chained, their feet fastened in the stocks in the inner prison. (Read Acts 16:22-25)
While I sang and prayed in my mind and heart, they prayed and sang aloud. While the O.R. staff could not hear my prayers and song, fellow prisoners listened to the prayers and praises of Paul and Silas. Where I was singing a hymn of assurance and comfort to myself, they were singing hymns of praise to God.
As they sang, miracles happened. (vv. 26-30)
“and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Christians sing in hard places of life because they believe that God is with them even in hard places of life. It is more than just knowing that God works out all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). It goes beyond head knowledge to the heart experience of His presence and purpose.
Rom. 8:29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
I sang in the O.R. because I knew that my God knows me, and all about me: where I was, why I was there, what would become of me after, who I am now and what I will be next. He knows everything there is to know in the world. He knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning.
I can sing and pray because I believe that the God who created me also intends for me to be like His Son. To be like Jesus is to be obedient unto death… dead to self, dead to anxiety and fear of death. It is more than just an end but a journey. When I first learned that I had cancer, my prayer was: Lord, if you think that the purpose you have for me on earth is done, then I am at peace with that. But if there is anything else that I need to do, please help me go through the journey.
Sure, all Christians say they are not afraid to die because they know where they are going after they die. But not everyone can truly say they are not afraid of how they will die. Not even Christians can claim that they are not anxious or sad when life is hard. One thing sure is that as a Christian goes through the testing of fire, he will more and more be like Jesus.
Troubles in life either break or make a person. For a follower of Jesus, suffering and pain draw him closer to God. When all is well and life is like a bed of roses, I tend to become complacent. I forget to depend on God and become self-sufficient.
God allows the problems in life to make us a better person. Sanctification – the process of becoming holy is a life-long journey. Singing praises to God in prisons of life is only possible by the grace of God. Being joyful always, giving thanks in everything – in the good and in the bad is only by the grace and mercy of God and God alone.
Are you in a dark place, my friend? Is life hard? Are you anxious? Are you sad? Are you hurting? God knows. God sees. God understands. He is calling you to be conformed (to be like) to the image of His Son – Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth and the Life. Know Jesus and know abundant life!