Daily Excerpt: Helping the Disabled Veteran - The Soldier's Psalm
This excerpt comes from Helping the Disabled Veteran (Joanna Romer)
The Soldier’s Psalm
Psalm 91
has been called the Soldier’s Psalm because of an unusual incident during World
War I. The men in the 91st Infantry Brigade of the U.S.
Expeditionary Army were all given the psalm printed on little cards right
before going into battle. The 91st Brigade was engaged in three of
the worst battles of the war—the Argonne, Chateau Thierry, and Belle
Wood, but the men prayed the psalm daily and suffered not a single casualty.
Other American units engaged in those same battles had up to 90% casualties
(The Soldier’s Psalm).
With
such a record, it’s no wonder that the psalm has become known throughout the
world as providing protection for soldiers. As a veteran, perhaps you’ve heard
of it; maybe you’ve even prayed it yourself. If you’re a friend, sister or
brother of a veteran, you may not be aware of the power of Psalm 91—perhaps now is the time to become acquainted:
Psalm 91
He that dwelleth in the secret place of
the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord,
He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,
and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings
shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for
the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the
destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of
the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord,
which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee
in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and
the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I
deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with
him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
*******************************
The
psalm is also famous for its connection to the beloved actor, James Stewart.
Stewart, who enlisted in the Air Corps and became part of a bomber squadron
during World War II, was given the psalm by his father, Alexander Stewart, when
he was preparing to fly overseas. James Stewart’s dad came to the farewell
ceremonies in Sioux City, Iowa and slipped a small envelope into his son’s
pocket.
That
night, alone in his bunk, Stewart opened the envelope. The note from his father
read: “My dear Jim, soon after you read this letter, you will be on your way to
the worst sort of danger. I have had this in mind for a long time and I am very
concerned…But Jim, I am banking on the enclosed copy of the 91st
Psalm.
“The
thing that takes the place of fear and worry is the promise in these words. I
am staking my faith in these words. I feel sure God will lead you through this
mad experience…I can say no more, I only continue to pray. God bless you and
keep you. I love you more than I can tell you. Dad” (Guidepost Classics).
Stewart
said he cried reading this note, because his dad had never said he loved him until
then. He began to read the psalm and the small booklet with it, entitled “The
Secret Place—A Key to the 91st Psalm.” He read from the booklet
before every bombing raid, and the meaning of the psalm deepened (Guidepost
Classics).
Stewart
returned safely from the war to make many more films, including the classic
“It’s a Wonderful Life.” Coming home as a decorated war hero, Stewart said he
learned to lean on the words of Psalm 91 (The Soldier’s Psalm).
In 1969,
a group of men who were members of the First Brigade of the 101st
Airborne Division during the Vietnam War were trapped at a placed called Hill
376. They were outnumbered and pinned down by fierce enemy fire. These men, the
only survivors of the battle, returned 30 years later to pay their respects to
their fallen brothers and to seek further healing for their own hearts. One of
the men took out a Bible and began to read Psalm 91.
As a veteran,
you can use Psalm 91 for healing just as it was used for protection during
various wars. Maybe you have nightmares about the tragedies you’ve seen—you can’t seem to get over it. You can interpret the psalm
in a new way:
“You
will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day.
Or the pestilence that walketh in darkness. Or of the destruction that lays
waste at noon.”
These
verses, which have bolstered soldiers on the battlefield, can strengthen
veterans battling to recover their well-being now at home.
Your
beloved son, brother or husband may feel like he is still on the battlefield.
The terror is still there at night and often in the daytime as well. What you
can do is pray for your loved one’s peace of mind and refer to Psalm 91 for
comfort. If your beloved veteran is not familiar with the psalm, he or she will
be moved by the deep message of comfort and consolation it contains.
Paperback available at MSI Press webstore.
For more posts about Joanna and her books, click HERE.
Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter
Follow MSI Press on Twitter, Face Book, and Instagram.
in exchange for reviewing a current or forthcoming MSI Press LLC book?
Contact editor@msipress.com.
Want an author-signed copy of this book?
Purchase the book at 25% discount (use coupon code FF25)
and concurrently send a written request to orders@msipress.com.
You can!
Find their contact information on our Authors' Pages.
Comments
Post a Comment