The best memory I can share is when I was a 6th grade teacher and my dad, Marine, would come to my classroom to present. He would dress in a suit with his medals in a case ready to tell the most amazing stories. To me heart wrenching stories of survival of young men just trying to live through a war. The kids would listen and then pelt him with all kinds of questions. The kids would then ask me when he would be returning. It has always been a special time of remembrance of those he honored through the stories he told eager young kids willing to listen who would make thank you cards I would deliver to him. Brightly colored patriotic drawings and words scrawled on construction paper. The most beautiful cards I could ever have given myself. I always wonder if those kids still remember him when Memorial Weekend comes around each year.
“Soldiers and authorities are described as God’s servants who bear the sword to keep peace, maintain justice, and protect the innocent” (Romans 12: 3-4).
Did you know that Psalm 91 is called the “Soldier’s Psalm” because it is uniquely tied to military history and personal protection.
Why it was called the “Soldier’s Psalm”:
-the 91st brigade during World War I, the U.S. Army 91st Infantry Division
-the brigade commander, a devout Christian, gave every soldier a small pocket card printed with Psalm 91
-the entire unit agreed to recite the “Soldier’s Psalm” together daily
-the miracle according to the account shared by veterans is that other neighboring units faced up to 90% casualty rates, but this specific brigade did not suffer a singe death (historians note this can be disputed, but the story is cemented in the psalm’s military legacy)
-the text is filled with combat imagery that specifically mentions military threats, such as the “arrow that flies by day” and “deadly pestilence”
-there is a “band of brothers” connection where troops throughout history have carried printed copies of Psalm 91 in their pockets or helmets as a physical reminder of safety
There are key verses of protection:
Verse 2: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Verse 4: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Verse 7: “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand to your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
Verses 11-12: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
The miracle of Dunkirk (World War II):
-during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, 300,000 Allied troops were stranded on French beaches, entirely vulnerable to German air attacks
-according to testimonies archived by groups like Kinship Radio, a young chaplain on the beach recalled that large pockets of stranded British soldiers began shouting Psalm 91 at the top of their lungs as bullets rained down
-all the sudden, unusual dense fog rolled in to ground the German Luftwaffe, and the waters of the English Channel became miraculously calm, allowing hundreds of civilian boats to successfully rescue the troops
Pocket Bibles and Personal Shields:
-beyond entire units, individual service members have carried the psalm as a literal and spiritual shield
-Jimmy Stewart, the famous actor, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a bomber pilot in WWII. His father famously wrote him a letter enclosing a copy of Psalm 91, which Steward carried on every dangerous flight.
-The “Bullet-Stopping” Bible is a military lore involving a soldier being shot in the chest, only to survive because his pocket Bible absorbed the impact. In a famous account shared by Kenneth Copeland Ministries, a lieutenant’s life was saved when a bullet wedged into his pocket Bible–stopping precisely at Psalm 91:7: “A thousand may fall at your side….but it will not come near you.”
Modern Conflict (the Iraq War):
-May 23, 2017 Chaplain Hardie Higgins testimony
-Army Chaplain Hardie Higgins utilized the psalm for convoy operations
-he ordered thousands of Psalm 91 cards and physically placed one inside the windshield of every single military vehicle before they went out on patrol
-his brigade completed its deployment with zero casualties
-even surviving an RPG strike directly to a command vehicle tail light that miraculously failed to detonate into the cabin
These are just some special stories during this time of remembrance. Here is the whole Psalm 91. As you read it, try to envision it through the eyes of a soldier. Let us lift our prayers to those serving today. Let us be thankful for all who have served. May we honor those who have given their lives for our freedom.
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Danny Gokey has a tribute song called “My America.” Just beautiful
Danny Gokey - My America (Official Music Video)