Click Now to Order

STRENGTH

The threat of war is having a positive impact on soldiers preparing for a possible conflict with Iraq. On a recent Sunday morning, eight young men approached the altar in a canvas church, received blessings from a chaplain, and were baptized in a freshly dug pool. They emerged to applause from their fellow Marines.

Makeshift chapels throughout Kuwait’s military camps and logistics bases have been jammed with worshippers as the threat of war grows. Many of the men have not entered a church back home in years.

Some troops say this “foxhole religion: is critical to their preparation for war, saying it provides confidence that they will be protected if called upon to fight and faith that their mission is just.” Lance Corporal Matthew Haugan from California was one of those recently baptized, Haugan says, “After today, I feel more ready to cross the border. This is better armor than anything the Marine Corps could give me. I feel better about myself than I ever have, and I know God will be looking out for me.”

Army Chaplain Keith Kilgore, a Southern Baptist minister, said, “It’s the best ministry I’ve ever had. When soldiers are about to face combat, they start getting spiritual. They want to get right with God.” Priest Bill Devine adds, “Their experiences over here will change them, and if that includes bringing God more into the picture, so much the better.”

—www.washingtonpost.com, In Kuwait, Baptism Before the Gunfire, By Jonathan Finer and Peter Baker, February 28, 2003. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

STRENGTH/TRUST

Recently the Afghan captors released the Christians they held in prison. After their release, the two American women, thirty-year old Dayna Curry, and twenty-four year old Heather Mercer, held a news conference. They used the opportunity to express thanks to the many people who were praying for them. Though it wasn't widely reported in the secular media, they also thanked their Lord Jesus. They described the ordeal as a roller coaster of emotions. One day up and full of hope, the next, full of despair, fearing for their lives. Heather and Dayna also thanked their Lord for His deliverance. They said, "He was faithful to His promises." Curry and Mercer believed the Lord fulfilled His promise to ransom them and deliver them from their enemies.

These Christians spent months in prison charged with attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. The evidence against them was a copy of a children's book about Jesus, and a couple of CD ROMs about the life of Jesus. The faithfulness of these Christians is amazing. They were arrested for preaching Jesus and serving Him in Afghanistan.

The situation changed with the attacks on the World Trade Center in September. War broke out, and the danger increased. They did not know if a bomb from the United States might destroy their jail and kill them. Curry said, "There were times when we didn't know if we'd make it out alive." Throughout the ordeal, they held on to their faith and trusted God completely. He delivered them, and strengthened them through their trial.

Their faith was a witness to their Muslim captors.

The testimony of these two women and their companions brings to mind a verse from the Old Testament. In 2 Chronicles 16:9, a prophet named Hanani told a king who had gone astray, "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." The Lord's eyes saw the captives in Afghanistan. He strengthened them and delivered them from the hands of their captors.

Our circumstances may not seem as dire, but the Lord will strengthen us if we continue to place our complete trust in Him.

—www.CNN.com, Associated Press, K-LOVE News Updates, November 16-17

Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

STRENGTH/SUFFICIENCY

A fifty-three year old Israeli has claimed the title of the world's best blind golfer after overcoming an ordeal that destroyed his eyesight nearly thirty years ago. Zohar Sharon was blinded when a fellow soldier accidentally sprayed a chemical in his face. Though doctors tried to salvage his eyesight, Sharon became completely blind at the age of twenty-eight. He says, "Everything I had before fell apart. All of a sudden, you are nothing; a 3-year-old is more productive than you. You have to rebuild something from what is left. You have to understand what it is you want to do with your life."

Sharon's biggest ally is his caddie, Shimshon Levi, his best friend since childhood. Levi leads Sharon around the course, plants his tees, and places the ball. He steadies Sharon's arm and describes the course ahead. When putting, he places Sharon's hand on the club so it is next to the ball. He tells Sharon how far away the cup is, and then runs to the hole and begins clapping so Sharon knows where to hit the ball.

Sharon says," I enjoy golf more than a seeing man, a lot more. The grass is always green to me. The trees are always beautiful. But golf is also therapeutic for me." He says, "I try, just for one moment, not to be blind. It doesn't give me one minute to think about my situation." Sharon jokingly refers to himself as "the world's greatest golf player at night." He adds, "There are no restrictions for blind people in golf if you have a good caddie."

—Associated Press, Israeli Tops World's Blind Golfer List, December 26, 2005. Illustration by Jim L. Wilson and Jim Sandell.

Philippians 4:12-13 (RSV) "I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. [13] I can do all things in him who strengthens me."