My daughter, Kristin, wrote these great thoughts.  She allowed me to share them with you.  I hope you are as challenged by them as I was. – Cherie

Recently, our daughter has began learning the Lord’s prayer and she is reciting it around the house. She’s been learning the King James Version from Matthew 6:9-13, which states: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

Every now and then she needs help and will ask what something means. I can recall countless sermons and studies on the salutation to the Father, the daily bread, the forgiveness, the deliverance from temptation, even the last bit of the verse 13 which is a footnote in some English translations of the Bible. What I don’t recall is much study of the very first of the prayer, the section Jesus starts with after the salutation: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Which has me recently pondering: What does it mean for “Thy kingdom to come, Thy will to be done in earth, as it is in heaven” for someone who professes to be a Christian?

As I began to mediate on this, I find myself remembering Ephesians 6:10-18: “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.” Other than the fact I learned both of these sections of scriptures as a young child, it is strange to me that this is the scripture containing the armor of God is what came to mind while mediating on the beginning of the Lord’s prayer. Why would my spirit place these two passages from my childhood together in this stage of my life? I honestly “put a pin in it” and went about my life as a wife and mother, not really mediating on it much more than that for a bit.

A week or so goes by and I am re-connecting with an Army friend. For those who don’t know me, my husband is an Army veteran who served three tours in OEF during the first seven years of our marriage. My view on life dramatically altered as a result of this. Words such honor, respect, sacrifice, the true meaning of family and the phrase “call day or night,” changed with this period of my life. Some of my closest friends are all over the world and we will talk or text randomly and connect in an instant way I cannot explain. I was talking to one of my closest friends and chatting with her about the mediating of these things and she suggested praying about the connection and journaling about it. But one thing she said was very interesting to me: Christ is our King and we are his soldiers. Then it struck me: A King will not enter an area unless the soldiers have secured the battlefield. I remember reading Decision Pointswhere President Bush writes of going to Afghanistan but he goes to a secure military base. I remember my husband telling me of celebrities who would tour the secured bases, but they did not go to the front lines. The soldiers, they are the ones on the front lines. They are the ones fighting for their King. The King only enters the battlefield which the soldiers have already secured.

This struck me hard for several days. Then some more questions came to mind: What is my mission for my King? A solider always has a mission directive that he/she is to carry out. What is mine as a Christian? And since Christ has died and I have received his grace and mercy with his ultimate sacrifice on the cross, am I therefore drafted into battle? And do I have any battle buddies?

Again, I began to mediate on this. Praying about it. Then another scripture from childhood hit me, this time it was Matthew 28:18-20, which I learned as the Great Commission: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” If Christ is my King, and I am a solider standing in the armor of God, then my mission directive is the last thing my King instructed me to do before he left me. His instructions, his training, everything he has taught me and done for me are very important and significant and will guide me and save me through any and all circumstances to come. But my mission, what I am command to do for him for his kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven, is what he commanded of me before he left.

Again, I come at life from the eyes of a veteran’s wife. Something that is not acknowledged much in the United States is that since September 11, 2001, there have been two wars fought simultaneously without a draft or a need for a draft. How is that possible? Simple: The USA military is made up of volunteers. As a Christian serving my King, is there any passage of scripture which speaks of volunteering for my God? Isaiah 6: 1-8 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.  And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah, this simple man who trembles before the throne, sees the glory of his King; and when his King asks who will go for him, Isaiah simply volunteers. He willingly steps forward for his King.

I recently heard an amazing sermon where Acts 4:29 was highlighted, which states: “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” These early Christians are praying for boldness for Christ, knowing the earthly consequences of their actions. Yet they know someone must go forward for Christ if his mission directive is to be carried out. Isaiah is bold. Isaiah is willing to go. Peter and John are bold, and they along with other Christians pray for their boldness.

Being a solider, or a member of a soldier’s family, is not easy. It takes away your comforts and peace of mind. The training and preparations as a solider are relentless, and the seminars you go through as a wife are hard. There are many sleepless nights when the solider is called to battle. Watching the news will turn your stomach. But the friends you make when in the fire of war for the solider and his/her family will be the ones you cherish the rest of your life. You can come from different backgrounds, races, geographical locations, even religions, but none of that matters when on the battlefield. There, you are simply carrying out your commander’s mission. And you learn the true meaning of love as described in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Will being a solider for Christ be hard? Yes. That’s why Christians have Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Will be getting out of bed be difficult spiritually and physically some days as a soldier for Christ? Yes. Lamentations 3:22-24: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” Will there be times when I am not on the battlefield but rather waiting for my next assignment in the scope of the greater mission? Yes. Psalms 27:14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” The reason these scriptures come so quickly to my mind is because for the three deployments my husband did, I had a scripture that was on my heart each deployment. And while mediating on this scope of what it truly means to be a solider for Christ, these scriptures that  sustained me each deployment, come to the forefront of my mind again.

What is my conclusion from this, something so simple as my daughter learning the Lord’s prayer and reciting it to her brother, dolls, father and myself? For me, after a month of prayer of mediation on it, it is simple: For Thy kingdom to come and thy will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13), then I, having seen the glory of my King and knowing the ultimate sacrifice has been made and the war has been won (Luke 23&24), must volunteer (Isaiah 6:1-8) and to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and go and follow the mission directive of my King (Matthew 28:18-20) in the truest sense of love (John 15:13). Maybe this is all a bit farfetched. But I will be very honest: Pulling all these scriptures together in this manner brings a peace to my spirit which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). In addition, it also gives me a purpose and a way to train and proceed in life as a Christian who is wanting to win souls for my King. Also, waking with this mentality and the acknowledgement of the spiritual warfare which surrounds me changes the outlook of my day. I am no longer simply raising children, but rather training future warriors for Christ. I am no longer a housewife going thru the motions, but a partner to another warrior who is fighting for our family’s well being in both earthly and heavenly kingdoms. Finally, I am then praying for a boldness to assist my fellow soldiers as we secure the battlefield for our King’s entrance; for Thy kingdom to come, Thy will to be done on EARTHas it is in heaven.

A huge thanks to my mother for encouraging to share my thoughts.

Be bold. – Kristin