Deployed, not Despondent - The Warrior's Journey®
 

Deployed, not Despondent

Author: Brenda Pace, Author of "Journey of a Military Wife"

germany. Photo by The U.S. Army is licensed under CC By 2.0

I wonder, where is the bandana for me as a deployed wife?

Military personnel preparing to deploy sometimes receive from the chaplain a camouflage bandana printed with the words of Psalm 91.

It serves as a reminder of God’s promised presence during deployment:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1–2)

Psalm 91 encourages trust in the Lord in all circumstances. It is a promise of help in times of trouble. The words paint a picture of God’s faithfulness as a large freestanding shield that hides and protects the whole person.1

I wonder, where is the bandana for me as a deployed wife? Truthfully, I want more than a bandana. I want a blanket to cover me, transforming my fear to faith, my stress to strength, and my despondence to delight.

Of course, no such blanket exists, but God’s Word points me to the one who provides such covering. God’s Spirit breathes life into the words of Scripture and there I find hope and help for the situations I face. The words of the Bible are not just history lessons; they are living words that can transform minds and hearts.

God’s Spirit breathes life into the words of Scripture and there I find hope and help for the situations I face.

The book of Exodus is the account of Moses leading the Israelites on a type of deployment. While not exactly like the circumstances of a deployed wife, it holds many truths that may apply to the journey. For the next thirty days, as we walk with the Israelites, listen to the orders the Lord gave them and heed the guidance the Lord may have for you. The promise of his presence in the middle of your situation is as true today as it was for the Israelites in the desert.

Each day will have its challenges, so begin each with this prayer from Psalm 119:18. “Lord, Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

 

 


1 John Goldingay, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms: Volume 3 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic Books, 2008), 47.

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