Jane Cook - Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

The tank commander fired a few shots into the cab killing the driver; the truck rolled to a stop and four men burst out and took off running. The tank commander shot them all.

Afterwards, I had to secure the area and clear the bodies of any weapons. That’s when I saw him… one of the men who had tried to escape on foot and had been shot. We tried applying first aid but it was pretty obvious that he was not going to make it.

That whole night stands out to me as a paradox. We shot them and then tried to save them. My emotions went from rage over the fact that they had killed some of our soldiers to compassion and sadness. Here is a man about to enter the gates of hell, I thought as I watched him die. It was pretty rough, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.

It really brought home the greater significance to taking a life. I realized that whether I liked it or not these terrorists needed Jesus just as much as my soldiers did. And no matter what uniform a person dies in be it dress uniform or tattered robes if they do not know Christ as their savior, their eternal fate is the same.

Lord, give me a heart for people’s souls.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

My heart was heavy. I desperately missed my husband and longed to be with him. I could only imagine just how lonely, scary, and disconcerting it would be to be sent halfway around the world to risk his life in uncomfortable conditions with people that he had only known for a matter of months. I wanted so badly to fly to him and “take care” of all his needs. Kevin is a strong, independent man certainly more than capable of taking care of himself. Still, I would lay awake and wonder: Who’s encouraging my husband when he feels down? Who’s ministering to his spirit when he needs a friend? Is anyone praying with him? In the end, I felt like no one could replace me in looking out for my husband.

Then I read a book called The Hand of God by Alistair Begg. What an incredible blessing the book follows the life of Joseph. In chapter four Begg drives home a key point that I felt was written directly for us: Joseph was a long way from home and everything familiar to him, yet he was still hemmed in “behind and before” by God.

It pierced my soul because I realized that I could so easily replace Joseph’s name with Kevin’s. Begg writes that God’s presence was the source of Joseph’s protection. What a relief. My burden was lifted when I understood that there was nothing that my presence could do that God’s presence wasn’t already doing. In fact, God’s presence was all that Kevin needed. His circumstances could have been a thousand times worse, and still God was with him, and God was sufficient. I didn’t have to be burdened with anxiety or concern. My amazing God was taking care of my amazing husband in ways well beyond my capabilities. From quiet, possibly lonely nights in his cot in the barracks to riding in the military vehicles on patrol, to helicopter rides to Baghdad, he was surrounded and secured with the power of God. What was left to worry about?

Lord, thank you for remaining in complete control of all my days, and those of my loved ones.

“My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.” (Psalm 31:15)

As a man with a wife and four children preparing for a year in Iraq, we prayed for my physical safety. But what is more of a miracle? To save the body or the soul? God has delivered my soul from death. Not only does this show his love for me, but also shows his power. He has rescued me from eternal death to eternal life by going there himself and fetching me out.

God does not promise that I will never suffer bodily harm, but by already giving me new life in Christ he has demonstrated his power to save to the uttermost. Since he loves me enough to sacrifice his only Son on my behalf, I know that he will always do what is best for me. I don’t know if that means physical safety, but I know that he is capable of keeping me safe in the midst of danger.

I know that my Lord will go anywhere that I am. If the very constraints of death itself cannot hold him back from what the Father has purposed, certainly on this earth there is no obstacle he cannot overcome.

Feeling the assurance that my Heavenly Father will never let go of me and being comforted in the knowledge of his spiritual and emotional provision for me, still I am surprised that a prevailing anxiousness builds on the horizon.

I know that I am heading into a test of my faith; my greatest fear is that of failing. I fear the possibility that my thoughts and actions might soil the name of the One who called me by my name and forgave me. But I know that my God has delivered my feet from falling in the past and will again. I know that he is watching every step I take. I will walk before my Lord in the land of the living.

Lord, keep my feet from stumbling as I walk the path you have set for me as a follower of Christ.

“Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you. For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:7–9)

It was an event Eielson Air Force Base (Alaska) will never forget: a hangar full of airmen and soldiers getting to see President Bush up close while we hosted his refueling stop as he traveled to Asia on August 4, 2008. Air Force One landed at Eielson on time to the minute; however, when he left less than two hours later, the president was fifteen minutes behind schedule. Here’s why.

On December 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill, Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol. As the turret gunner in the lead Humvee in the convoy, Shawn was in the most exposed position. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.

After the president’s speech, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the president wanted to meet us.

Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into an empty conference room. A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush entered, walked up to my wife, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, “I wish I could heal the hole in your heart.” He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, “Everybody out.” Not even a Secret Service agent remained.