Dear friends in uniform, so many miles from home,
I’ve been asked to write you a letter, and that in the form of a poem:
Some of you I have never met; but believe me when I say,
I consider it a privilege to write you a letter today.
I am sitting at my kitchen table, and as I glance o’er hill and plain,
I think how bright the trees and fields appear, after yesterday’s rain;
As I look across my driveway I see a beautiful flowering quince,
And next to it the yellow jasmine, covering my neighbor’s fence.
In the background I see the mountains, towering majestically high,
And upon them the snow-covered pines can be seen with the naked eye.
Oh, yes, it’s a beautiful valley in which our city lies:
I guess that’s why it’s called the valley of Paradise.
How different must be the surroundings where you have been called to be,
Some of you on foreign soil and some far out at sea;
It is hard for us to visualize the places where you stay;
Or to understand the problems that you face from day to day.
We read in the daily papers about the things our soldiers do,
And oftentimes some brilliant accounts about our war heroes too;
About the heroes of this war so very much is heard,
But we read of more significant heroes on the pages of God’s Word.
Heroes of faith who fought against sins,
By wearing God’s armour they the battle did win;
God’s people all have a battle to fight,
Standing strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Let us put on the whole armour of God in the fight against sin,
Becoming heroes of faith and obedient to Him:
Then we will gain the victory and say till our dying breath,
“We are more than conquerors thru Him who loved us, even unto death.”