A Soldier's Call To Arms

All night long, the battle raged
til dawn broke in the east.
Then all at once the sounds of war
would taper off and cease.

The soldier, with his comrades,
grew weary and afraid.
By day, he read his Bible, and
By night, he crouched and prayed.

Verses read and memorized
Brought peace and fears relieved;
By Precious Blood, his fate secured
The moment he believed.

One night, the fight intensified,
And he was left alone;
Separated from his troops,
Not knowing where they'd gone.

In panic now, he bolted
Deep into the trees,
Praying to be reunited
Before the enemy sees.

Minutes turn to hours
As night turns into day.
Tired, now exhausted,
He cannot find his way.

He moves with caution to the front;
His rifle at the ready.
Nerves on edge, should need arise,
He prays his aim will be steady.

Then all at once, just yards away,
An enemy soldier appears.
The dreaded moment now has come
To stand and face his fears.

With sweaty palms and tear-filled eyes,
He drops to his knees and prays,
Waiting for a bullet
To come and end his days.

With head bowed down in silence,
A tear rolled down his cheek.
He tried, but could not rise up,
He found his knees too weak.

How long did he crouch there?
Only God in Heaven could tell,
For when he opened up his eyes,
His enemy was crouched as well.

Neither understood the other;
They came from different lands,
But prayer brought them together.
They reached out and shook hands.

The two words they had in common
Were uttered in the end.
As each man rose to walk away
Saying, Alleluia, and Amen!

~ Linda Gleason ~
Copyright © August, 2010
All Rights Reserved

The story of a Romanian soldier named Ana Gheorghe, once read,
reverberated in my thoughts and in my dreams. I awoke this
morning a little after 4:00 a.m. with need for paper and pen.

The story began in 1941, and Romania had been invaded.
For every soldier who is called to arms to defend freedom,
there is a Savior who shall free the world. May we all rise and say,
Alleluia and Amen until the only arms we see are the arms of the Lord.

[ By: Linda Lee Gleason, Copyright © 2010 ( llgleason@bellsouth.net ) -- submitted by: Linda Gleason ]