They’re one of the busiest sets of brothers you’ll ever meet. They make movies, write books, and tour the nation as the wildly popular duo For King & CountryBut for the younger of the Smallbone brothers, Luke, a serious illness threatened everything.

“So I got diagnosed several years ago with a digestive disorder, and with those types of diseases you really have to be careful because a lot of it has to do with getting the right amount of sleep. And stress is probably the thing that honestly started the whole issue in the first place.”

As challenging as this news was, Luke felt he could push through this season as he had so many other challenges.

“I had this mindset. I was going to tough it out. I’m going to work through it, and work harder. I felt like that’s what you did. I felt like that was what fighting was. And at that point I got really, really sick. I got down to about one hundred twenty five pounds, and I’m six foot four.”

At this point came a conversation that shook him to his core.

“My wife came to me one night and said look, you know, you just can’t leave me here. You’ve got to fight through this, and make it through to the other side. I’m sitting there thinking, Wow. I’m not that old, and yet my wife is asking me to fight for my life. This doesn’t feel normal.”

Luke’s understanding of what it really meant to fight was about to change forever.

“It was one particular night when I think I was at my just at the end of trying to figure this thing out myself. I just angrily said, ‘God – why am I so sick? I don’t know why. I don’t know why. I’m doing the things You’ve asked me. I feel like I’m attempting to be in Your will, but yet here I am. What’s going on?’

“And I felt God say these things. I don’t need more effort from you. I don’t need your striving. I don’t need your talents. I don’t need you to do any more shows for me. I don’t need you to write any more. I just want your heart. I just want you. I don’t want anything else. I just want you.”

“It’s changed the way I look at life. It’s changed the way I live.”


Luke Smallbone is the younger half of the wildly popular duo For King & Country.

On the Road with For King & Country's Luke Smallbone