A Song for the Sunrise

When his life hung in the balance, Kenneth held onto Hope.

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At a time when his life hung in the balance and darkness seemed to be closing in, these lyrics from the worship song, Promises, became an anthem of hope for Kenneth Long.

In January 2021, Kenneth tested positive for COVID-19. He expected some sniffles, a cough, maybe some fatigue. He thought he’d be fine after a few days in bed. But days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months as Kenneth’s battle with COVID took him in and out of the hospital.

His time at the hospital took a physical and emotional toll: No visitors were allowed as he struggled with the disease. At one point, doctors told him that 98% of his lungs were full of the virus. Every physician that viewed Kenneth’s X-rays remarked with surprise, “it’s a miracle you’re still alive.” Kenneth told the doctors confidently, “God has a purpose for my life.”

THE LONG MIDNIGHT

Kenneth relied on oxygen for 139 days straight to breathe. Even after coming home from the hospital, it felt like he was walking through a valley of shadows: “All illusion of control faded. I had to say, ‘God I’m Yours. My life will forever be. I will trust You in the hard just like I trust you in the good. You are Sovereign and my confidence is in You.”

Kenneth remembers moments when the Lord seemed far away. He called out, God, where are You right now? Through these times of despair, the Holy Spirit reminded Kenneth that the Lord was still near. Kenneth says, “I’d hear that small voice say, ‘I’m with you. I’m with you.’”

In March, Kenneth’s voice was strong enough for him to help out the Woodmen creative team by providing the voiceover on an Easter video. As the video portrayed an ocean storm in the dark of the night, the script called for Kenneth to declare, “Hold onto hope!” Kenneth saw God at work as the words resonated with his own life in that season. Kenneth tied himself to hope because hope was all he had. “I’m not talking about hope in the future. It’s hope in Christ in the now. In the pain. In the darkness,” Kenneth recounts.

NEW EVERY MORNING

As a longtime Woodmen worship leader, songs of praise are dear to Kenneth. During the months of his convalescence, Kenneth and his son, Nate, would play Promises before bedtime each night. Kenneth saw these moments as fresh chances to believe in faith that the Lord would restore his life.

Nate would say, “Daddy, can you sing that song?” Kenneth recalls, “Every night I would hear that song and say, Yeah, great is Your faithfulness. I don’t see it, but I know it’s true.”

Little by little, God’s healing power became clear to Kenneth as he saw the Lord do amazing things. Kenneth’s health is improving despite everything the doctors told him.

In June, Kenneth had the opportunity to lead worship in a live setting for the first time since the pandemic began 15 months earlier, Kenneth remembers how he felt leading the congregation that first time worshipping with God’s people, “It was a humbling and beautiful moment – five months earlier I thought I’d never sing again. Yet because of God’s steadfast faithfulness, I’m standing here.”

Through the darkest times, Kenneth has seen God’s light break through. Kenneth has known the Lord’s grace in the cold midnight of a hospital bed. He has experienced God’s goodness in the warmth of a radiant sunrise. Although his song is not fully written, Kenneth lives each day trusting in the mercy of our God, who is new every morning.

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