The “Nothings”

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Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You. — Jeremiah 32:17

Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan is a publication of 365 devotions to encourage, enlighten and inspire. But I couldn’t wait an entire year to read all of the entries—the stories were just too good. So I sat down and read the book cover-to-cover, never minding the 365-day menu.

Oftentimes the devotions are from one particular author but given in segments so that the entire story takes several days to complete. That’s the case with ten submissions by the Multinational Force-Iraq Command Chaplain Colonel Mike Hoyt, U.S. Army. From June, 2006, until September, 2007, CH Colonel Hoyt coordinated all religious support for U.S. service members in Iraq.He was also the personal staff chaplain to the commanding general for the Multinational Forces-Iraq, and as such was called on to give a sixty-second message at the Battle Update Assessment (BUA) each week.

As I read what he included in Battlefields & Blessings about those opportunities, it seems that he would read a Scripture passage and then pray aloud with those attending the high-level meetings. CH Colonel Hoyt writes, “We got many, many requests for the prayers and many compliments from other nations routinely asking for them. The couple of Sundays that the BUA prayer didn’t happen, the commanding general was personally asked by other members of the staff and coalition, ‘Where was the prayer today?’ They looked forward to it.” (p. 108)

Five of the powerful war-time prayers are included in this book. Here is one such prayer from July 2, 2006: “We thank You for the Mercy shown to us in delivering our forces through many missions. We appeal to Your loving Presence for those hurt by the thrust of evil. In this sad time of war, grant us a portion of Your strength of character and Spirit that we may not grow weary in well doing. Keep us humble in our successes, diligent in our duties, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness so that evil may be silenced and we may join the chorus of Your message—Joy to the world, and on earth, Peace to all men of goodwill with whom You are pleased. Amen.”  (p. 105)

It was during my recent immersion in Battlefields & Blessings that I was also reading from the classic book by Elizabeth George, Loving God With All Your Mind. Mrs. George reminds us that:

Nothing will ever happen to you that God does not already know about (Psalm 139:1-4).

Nothing will ever happen to you that is a mistake (Psalm 139:4,16).

Nothing will ever happen that you cannot handle by God’s power and grace (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

Nothing will ever happen to you that will not eventually be used by God for some good purpose in your life (Romans 8:28).

Nothing will ever happen to you without God’s presence (Matthew 28:20). (p. 52)

Later that same day I read the entry (BUA prayer of April 7, 2007) from Hoyt and connected it with “the nothings” which I had read from Scripture that morning:

“Thank You God we do not own the final solution. Even when we think we have all things carefully wrapped up in our plans and means, truly we are the ones shrouded in the mystery of life eternal under Your conditions. Nothing is final with You until You declare it so. Even at the consummation of the Age it is Your Holy and unstoppable purpose to make all things new.

“You make fresh Your mercies for us each day. You interfere upon our designs with a loving deliverance that remakes our hearts and redeems a soul even after we have long buried the idea of a second chance! Nothing unravels the weight of guilt and the sepulchers of excuses like Your Holy forgiveness. Nothing resurrects a new horizon to a lost vision like Your promise that all things are possible in faith. And nothing heals our wounded bodies, comrades, relationships like the bona fide example of a living God who makes death a by-word and suffering a benediction in the vocabulary of victory.

“Remind us of the strength of an unbreakable and immortal promise in You. Lead us in our worship to the rendezvous with your Almighty power. And bring to us this week those unexpected, unthought-of appearances from You that sets our hearts aflame with the joyful news nothing is final until it is complete in You. Amen.” (p. 108-109)

The truth of God’s word always connects—with our hearts and with our lives, whether on the battlefront or at home. Mike Hoyt knew that and proclaimed God’s faithfulness in his prayers from Scripture to those in Iraq. . . ever reminding us that nothing (not even wartime deployment) can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38,39).

Work Cited:

Cook, Jane Hampton, Jocelyn Green and John Croushorn, Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan (Chattanooga: God & Country Press, 2009).

George, Elizabeth, Loving God With All Your Mind (Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 1994/2005).

Questions to Share:

1. Luke 1:37 states, “For nothing is impossible with God.” Do you believe this? Can you give an example of a situation right now when seems to be impossible?
2. Pray for your eyes to be opened to how God could change that situation, or change you through it.