The Secret of the
Singing Heart

CHAPTER XIX

SOLDIERS

the little troublesome things of life. He must go through the various processes of becoming a soldier, and these drills must be kept up continually through life.

  Sometimes in our Christian life we seem to be making DO progress. We mark time. At other times we find it necessary to go upon the double quick. We then realize we are making real progress. But running is often no more important than marking time. So whichever we are doing let us be content to obey our Commander.

  Soldiers are often kept in garrisons. Frequently it is as important to hold some position without fighting as to be at the battlefront. Garrison duty often becomes irksome. In like manner there are irksome things in the Christian life. There is the daily recurrence of the same duties; things must be repeated over and over. Perhaps we cannot always enter into these things with zest, but it is just as much a test of our loyalty and our soldierly qualities to do well the uninteresting things of life, the things that come again and again, the things we weary of, as to do those that interest us most.

  Again, soldiers are often held in reserve. The battle is raging in front of them. They are doing nothing. Sometimes it is harder to be held in reserve than it is to fight. There are times when God lets us be in reserve. For a time at least we are inactive. We may not understand why. We may think we are useless; but not so. God is only waiting for the time when he can use us effectually. He is only waiting until he needs us for some definite thing.

  It is important that we have soldierly qualities. The demand of a soldier's life is for the manifestation of the [135] sterner side of his nature. The coward may make a pretty good soldier until he faces the enemy. Only the man of courage faces unfalteringly what may come. Therefore we have need of courage. The old song says.

"Sure I must fight if I would win,
Increase my courage Lord."

  Well, the Lord is ready to do that if we take the right course. How can we be courageous, even tho we ma, not feel courageous? Marshal Foch said, "Don't stop to have any fear, but when you are sure that you are right approach the issue with confidence and fight and fight on until victory." Marshal Foch won enough victories to know how it is done. If we follow his advice our victories will be won and we shall know no defeat.

  Good soldiers do their part everywhere. They are not merely good soldiers when no enemies are in sight. They are ready, obedient, confident. Of one thing we can always be sure—we have a good General. We need fear no foe when we follow him. We need fear nothing but that we may not properly follow him. He requires nothing more than he ought to require. He leads us nowhere but where we ought to go. He goes forth "conquering and to conquer." Let us follow him through life's conflict without fear, with the assurance that we shall be filled with his might, that we shall be kept by his protecting power, and that nothing shall by any means hurt us while we obey and trust him.

  The fact that there are dangers and hardships and wearisome toil in the army does not stifle its song. There are songs in the camp, songs on the march, songs in the battle, and songs of victory. These songs differ. [136]

  In life we have the songs of the camp. There are songs for the quiet hour, songs of safety, songs of contentment, songs of a restful soul. There are songs of anticipation, of hope, and of fellowship. These songs may gladden our hearts day by day even tho we are in God's army, for God's army is a joyful army.

  In life there are songs of the march, songs of accomplishment, of endeavor, of determination. There are songs that make us forget our weariness. There are songs of the land that lies before us. Let us learn to sing these songs on the march so that as we go onward in our Christian journey it shall not be a dragging forward through the difficulties and sometimes darkness of the march, and up through discouragements and fear, but looking beyond the things that surround us we may see the end of our march and the great review after the campaign is over.

  Then there are songs of the battle, songs of courage, of determination, songs of the power of our Leader, of his greatness, of his glory, and of his care of his soldiers. There are songs to encourage us, to create in us enthusiasm, to inspire us. There are songs that flow from the will to win. Let us learn to sing the songs of battle. They will help us on the Christian way. They will cause our foes to fear us.

  And, finally, there are the songs of victory. These are the songs we all desire to sing. We may sing these songs in our anticipation of victory but it is when the victory actually has been won that we can sing them from our hearts and have them mean something to us. These are ever glad songs, songs of rejoicing and [137] triumph. The Christian life is a victorious life. It could not be victorious without battles. So we shall face its battles, march its marches, do our garrison duties, and whatever may come to us through the will of our Leader, and then from time to time we shall sing the song of victory and shall at last when the war is over and we have laid down our weapons, join with those above in singing the grand hallelujah chorus of victor, through all eternity.[138]