I watched my husband pack his rucksack before he deployed. The list was specific and the task was straightforward. The list included particular items of necessity—clothing, toiletries, and military equipment.

I like lists. A list can remove emotion and turn an unpleasant event into a task. Tasks have measureable outcomes. Tasks have points of completion.

A deployment checklist for a military spouse is not items to purchase but rather tasks to complete. Even then, it can read like a cut and dry list of to-do’s by which to place a big red checkmark. You can throw yourself into completing a task and not have to think about the purpose—just get ’er done!

Obtain power of attorney

Organize financial details

File automobile information

Update will

The most important item on my deployment checklist was probably the power of attorney. When my husband gave me a power of attorney, it gave me the authority to act in his name on his behalf.

In a way, God gave Moses a power of attorney to act on behalf of the Lord. Moses would take the name of the Lord with him when he told the Jewish leaders God’s plan to deliver them from bondage. Moses would show his power of attorney to Pharaoh in the form of supernatural acts when he acted on behalf of the Lord in telling Pharaoh, “Let my people go!” God’s name would be the credentials Moses needed to give him courage and comfort.

A power of attorney issued in the authority of her husband’s name can bring a sense of courage and comfort for legal matters to a deployed wife. Jesus wants you to have courage and comfort by using the credentials of the power of attorney he has given us in his Word, when he said, “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13).