Daily devotion – Anzac Day – an adventure and a nightmare.
ANZAC Day Devotional – Psalm 91
Psalm 91 has often been called the “Soldier’s Psalm” or “Soldier’s Prayer.” Through the years, it has been read quietly in trenches, whispered in foxholes, and clung to in the darkest moments of battle. Its words carried comfort to those facing the very real possibility of death.
For the young men of World War I, whether in the trenches of Europe or later in the jungles of New Guinea, Borneo, and Vietnam, death was not distant—it was ever-present.
One haunting prayer, said to have been found on a fallen soldier in WWI, captures this reality:
“Lord God, I have never spoken to You,
But now I want to say, how do You do?
… Funny how I had to come to this hellish place,
Before I had time to see Your face.”
How often it is the crisis moments of life that awaken us to eternity.
For so many who departed from Albany bound for Gallipoli, the journey began as an adventure—young men leaving home, perhaps for the first time, seeing the world beyond their farms and towns. But as they approached the Dardanelles and stepped into the longboats, that sense of adventure quickly gave way to fear and horror.
Life can unfold in much the same way.
We can be moving along with everything seemingly steady and secure—then suddenly, without warning, everything changes. A loved one is taken. A diagnosis alters the future. The ground beneath us gives way, and we are plunged into uncertainty, fear, and helplessness.
But thanks be to God—there is hope.
Over 2,000 years ago, a child was born in Bethlehem. And some thirty years later, that same Jesus Christ went willingly to the cross. There, He bore our sin, our fear, and our judgment, so that we might be rescued from the deepest darkness of all. Through Him, our fear is replaced with faith, our uncertainty with assurance, and our despair with living hope.
This world does not relent in its difficulties. Nor does our adversary, Satan, cease from his work of destruction. Yet at Calvary, Jesus Christ defeated the power of sin and death, and through His resurrection, He secured victory for all who trust in Him.
Even in the storm, there can be calm.
As believers, we too are soldiers—not in a physical war like those remembered on ANZAC Day, but in a spiritual battle. And we have not been left unarmed.
Ephesians 6:10–13 reminds us:
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God… that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
Our Commander is the Lord Jesus Christ. He equips us, strengthens us, and leads us.
And one day soon, He will return.
Revelation 19:11–16 gives us a powerful glimpse of that day—when Christ, the Faithful and True, will come in righteousness to judge and make war, and every enemy will be defeated. On His robe is written: KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Until that day, we are called to stand firm.
Time is short. The days are urgent. Let us be faithful in what He has entrusted to us—serving Him, trusting Him, and pointing others to the hope found only in Jesus Christ.