Live in shelter of God's love, chaplain says
A "thin-skinned" trailer doesn't offer much protection from the threat of enemy shelling, an Army chaplain who spent a year in Iraq says, but safety can be found in the shelter of God.
"Iraq was a good place to put my faith in God to the test," said Chaplain Maj. Steve Cooper, who spoke Saturday at the seventh annual Rolling Meadows Community Prayer Breakfast.
Nearly 200 people gathered at the non-denominational Christian event, which aims to unite elected officials and other community leaders in prayer, song and meditation.
Cooper shared insights he's gained ministering to troops in Iraq. He based his remarks on the biblical Psalm 91, often called the "soldier's psalm."
Cooper said his battalion had better-than-normal living conditions, with three meals a day and air conditioning. But it was stationed in the heart of the Sunni Triangle where attacks were frequent -- an area soldiers jokingly call "Mortaritaville."
He would go to bed some nights in his trailer wondering if he would wake up the next morning in a hospital -- or at all. Tension was high.
As chaplain, he would urge troops to make themselves "spiritually bulletproof" by dwelling in the shelter of God. "A bunker does you absolutely no good if you're not inside it," he said.
His advice extended beyond war zones: "You can know fear in Rolling Meadows, in Schaumburg, in Elgin, in Rockford or at NIU, but you can take comfort in Psalm 91."
Cooper warned against misreading the scripture. "Some soldiers think, 'I've got supernatural protection from bullets -- Psalm 91 says so.' Then when the hammer does fall, we accuse God of not following through," he said.
He explained that there's no absolute guarantee of physical protection, but "the safest place to be is the center of God's will in the face of calamity. Your spirit can be safe."
Cooper, 43, lives in Rockford with his wife and five children and works full time with the Illinois Army National Guard. A Bronze Star recipient, his military service spans 17 years and includes a tour in Iraq from January 2004 to February 2005.
At one point in the program, all current and former military personnel in the audience were asked to stand, and about two dozen were applauded.
The Community Church of Rolling Meadows hosted the prayer breakfast for the seventh year straight. Pastor Rande Smith proposed the first event shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to unite the city in prayer.
Among the other churches involved were Kingdom Life House of Prayer, Cardinal Drive Church of Christ, and Meadows Baptist, Trinity Lutheran, and St. Colette Catholic and Bethel Lutheran churches.