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RADIANT BEAMS column series:

A Son and Psalm 91

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
-- Psalm 91:1

My grandfather was a doughboy in World War I. It didn't turn out to be the ''war to end all wars,'' but at least they tried.

Their songs were the best: ''Over There,'' ''It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,'' ''Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile,'' and my personal favorite, ''Mademoiselle From Armentieres,'' with the immortal chorus:

She got the palm and the croix-de-guerre /
For washin' soldiers' underwear /
Hinky dinky parlez-vous.

(And WE think the youth of TODAY have weird song lyrics.)

The Great War left great images: the spontaneous Christmas Truce of 1914, poppies blowing in Flanders Field, Sgt. York, Lawrence of Arabia, and University of Nebraska professor turned world-class military leader, Gen. John ''Blackjack'' Pershing.

I don't know where Grandpa fought or what he did. But I know everybody was grateful when he came home in one piece.

I just heard about another Nebraska boy who went off to war. I’m sure his mama has many of the same feelings my great-grandma did. He's Jonathan Riskowski of Lincoln, now in Iraq, patrolling the Syrian border with the U.S. Army. His specialty is tanks.

His dad Al is head of the Nebraska Family Council. I listen to his radio reports on the ''culture wars,'' including in the state legislature. One day recently, Riskowski told a story about his son, and it made me realize how connected all our battles are, literally and figuratively, and through the years, too.

You see, Jonathan's mother, Linda, was worried about her son going off to Iraq, putting his life on the line. She sought some extra protection for him. She came upon a true story from World War I.

It seems there were some American soldiers in France who were ''green.'' They had never seen combat. Naturally, they were scared. Their commander was a Christian. He wanted to encourage the members of the 91st Infantry Brigade. So he gave each one a little card imprinted with the 91st Psalm.

It's a beloved psalm of protection. It promises that though thousands may fall all around you, you'll still stand. It promises angelic deliverance, and honor for those who honor God.

They all agreed to pray it aloud, every day.

Well, the story goes, and research bears this out, the 91st Infantry Brigade got into some of the bloodiest battles of the Great War. They were at Chateau Thierry. They were at Belleau Wood. They were at Argonne.

Surrounding units sustained casualties of up to 90 percent.

But the 91st Brigade did not suffer a single combat-related casualty.

Every one of those boys came home from ''over there,'' no doubt with those copies of the 91st Psalm dog-eared and well-worn.

So what do you suppose the Riskowskis gave Jonathan as he left for Iraq? Naturally: a laminated copy of the 91st Psalm – and lots of extras, to share.

Everyone in their family prays it for him daily, too. Many of their friends do. Word is spreading: people they don't even know are praying it for him, just because they heard the story and know the power of prayer.

I wonder if my great-grandmother prayed that same psalm for Grandpa. I'll bet she did. People who realize that war is mostly spiritual will use the best ammunition available: prayer. It's hard to beat these words from that psalm:

He is my refuge and my fortress.

My God! In Him will I trust.

He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.

His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day.

Take heart, Jonathan. Those of us behind the lines are giving you prayer cover. It worked before, for your comrades of the past century, those doughboys who might not have been as high-tech as you are, but faced the same fears. It'll work again.

So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, you beloved son of Nebraska, and smile.

Hinky dinky parlez-vous!

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Prayer request: There are lots of battlefronts in today's world, Father. They're in our schools, our businesses, our courts, our streets, and in military operations around the world. I pray that each of us will choose someone who's ''in the trenches'' in some battle right now, and pray Psalm 91 for them (Psalm 91:15).