Combat

As military wives, the job our husbands do can be very dangerous. I know the uncertainty and anxiousness of sending them into a combat zone on the other side of the world. It can be a scary time. You know the dangers they will face and sometimes even what the enemy looks like. You know what equipment your husband will carry and who his battle buddies are because they have trained and prepared for this moment.

You believe in their ability. Yet when they leave you not only miss them being present in physical form each day, but you carry an anxiousness in your heart because their enemy can be unpredictable and hateful.

All challenging and not a fond memory when recalling those feelings. But in the midst of all of the craziness of your husband’s combat time, you know that God is God everywhere or He is not God at all. You know He can protect and provide in the sandbox just as much as He can here at home. His is truly God.

As I have watched my husband over the years, I have come to see the physical combat zone and simply a side-note to the true battle we face. Our husbands face a man with a weapon, but his real enemy is unseen…and shows up on our home turf. This is not a “scare you out of your pants” blog, but a “I am so glad God is on my side” blog.

This week I took the chance to pray these scriptures over my husband:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:10-18)

God reminded me this week that we enter a combat zone every day, both my husband and I. There is an unseen enemy, and sometimes I feel highly unqualified to fight him. Cool thing is, God can fight for me. He gave me that offensive weapon – the sword of the Spirit – to go at the enemy . . . not to pick a fight, but to win one. I plan to follow the instructions and “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” I am on a mission.

I get complacent and enjoy my happy world. I see the blessings of God daily and am completely amazed. But God has warned me of this enemy and the trouble he can bring. I refuse. My commander is the God of the universe. Talk about cool equipment and excellent training! He provides it all, and He is there with us.

Thankfully, I already know that we win in the end. I plan to remind satan of it daily :). Feel free to join me!