“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

We all have moments of doubt. I was reminded of a friend of mine as I read these verses today. This friend has started doubting the presence of God in her life. She doesn’t feel him moving in the midst of her troubles. She feels very alone. But he’s there. He promises in these verses above that he will never leave us, even during the darkest, scariest times. I know from dark moments in my life that God is always ready to pick us up and carry us through the good and bad times. He’s never let me down, even when other people in this world have. He’s always been there.

In addition the verse above calls us to be strong and courageous. The Hebrew word for strong, chazaq, means to prevail, be firm, and persevere. The Hebrew word for “courageous” ‘amats, is very similar in it’s meaning. ‘Amats means to be strong, brave and bold. In essence, God is not calling us to live fearful lives, but lives in which we trust in him, and take giant leaps of faith. In the military world we and our spouses certainly face some scary things. There are certainly lonely times, violent times, and times when it’s hard to see the hand of God at work. I, myself, am grasping a hold of this verse and its words about God’s faithfulness for whatever tomorrow may bring.

How might God be asking you to be courageous today? Do you need him to carry you through a dark time?

I took a challenge today. Write something meaningful in exactly 300 words. So hear I go.

My purpose for this blog is to give other military wives hope. Life can be hard. Our husbands can’t always be around. So how do we cope? To be honest, I’m still trying to figure that out. What I know so far is this: God has to be first.

It’s taken me awhile to get to this point. In the past, relationships I had were easily raised on pedestals, to an unhealthy point. They were in essence “gods” in my life, people I loved more and spent more time thinking about then God himself, in direct opposition to one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3). Ouch. I have trouble even now admitting this. Since then, I’ve tried so hard to always make sure God is number one and that I depend on Him more than anything.

As much as I want to depend on my husband to always make me feel happy, loved, and safe, I can’t. My husband is human, and he has a very demanding job. Don’t get me wrong, I know he loves me and wants to protect me. Just the same, God needs to be the one I ultimately look at for true joy, agape love, and eternal safety.

My husband, as hard as he may work, can never give me these things. There will be times when my husband does disappoint me and make me cry, and when he deploys overseas, leaving me in an empty house for months at a time.

If I depend on my husband most of all, I’ll be hurt and disappointed.

If I depend on my Lord and Savior, I’ll never be.

Lord, please help me to always keep you first in my life.

I’ve been praying a lot for a friend of mine this week. Her husband just deployed, leaving her at home with two tiny girls. This is the first time she’s had to take care of both girls on her own. I’m sure she’s dealing with a good bit of loneliness and sadness today.

In my Bible-In-A-Year reading this morning I was in the book of Deuteronomy. The first section heading caught my eye right away; it was called “Going to War.” How relevant. In this section Moses was reminding the Israelites that they would never be alone in battle, God would always go before them. While my friend’s husband is facing a battle over seas, she’s facing a battle on this side of the ocean as well, that of loneliness. The months ahead won’t be easier to her, but I hope these words found in Deuteronomy will be an encouragement to her as much as they are to me:

^“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: ‘Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’” (Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NIV).

When we trust in God, he gives us victory in things big and small. He gives us the strength to face the unknowns of each and everyday. With more troops being sent overseas in the coming months, I don’t know what the future will hold for my husband. He may very well be sent as well. Knowing this, I claim hold of the promise that God is big enough to be on both sides of the ocean at once.

Today my prayer is for those fighting overseas, that they will truly feel the presence of God in these violent times.

What will this year bring? I really can’t say. The military life is so unpredictable. We could move across the country. My husband could deploy over seas. We could start a family. Or make new, unexpected friends

In the past I might have worried about all the unknowns, but for right now  I’m excited. I’m excited for what God will teach us. I’m excited for how we’ll stretch and grow. I’m excited for all of the experiences we’ll have, the new places we’ll go.

Yes, the unknown is scarey. But just the same it’s nice to know that God will go with us each step of the way.

I don’t know what all of you are facing today. Perhaps you’re scared, perhaps your’re worried., or perhaps you’re excited like me.

As I sit here in my Sunday best, ready to greet the day, I wanted to encourage all of you through the word of God. This is what the book Deuteronomy has to say:
“The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

I pray that you claim this verse for yourself today, and for all of your loved ones that may be far away. As the above verse reminds us, there is no place we can go to in this world, that the Father does not follow. He is always with us, protecting us and keeping us strong, through the good times and the bad.

This verse comforted me in 2009 as my husband and I moved across the country. It helped me stay strong through the lonely days that followed, as we tried to make new friends. It gave me peace as we faced a possible deployment. And today it brings me joy. For we made it through 2009 by the grace of God alone. I’m so thankful that He never did leave our side. And I’m thankful that He’s with all of you this morning, comforting you wherever you may be.

If you need prayer for anything, please let me know. I’m always here, ready to get down on my knees and present our problems and praises to the Lord.