“I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”
Psalm 91:2-5
Last week, at gymnastics practice, I sat on the observation deck with the mother of my daughter Sophia’s best friend. Her husband is leaving for Iraq to serve as a chaplain there. He is quite excited to be serving the LORD at this time because God is working in the lives of our military. Two days later, while taking my other daughter Mikayla’s friend home from soccer practice, she told us about her cousin who is a soldier in Afghanistan. She was so proud of him because he was a hero who saved another man’s life.
While I have many friends on either side of the debate on the question of the war, all of my friends agree that we should be praying for our soldiers. My view on the war is that I would love to see it from God’s view. I know He is setting up something whether the war was wrong or right. I pray for His wisdom and opinion, not man’s opinion.
God has impressed me more and more to pray for our soldiers. These people serving in the war are husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons, and the list goes on. They are someone’s dearly loved one. In addition to these men, I now have friends who are mothers of soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. My friends whom I served with in the military have been in and out of Iraq. I think we have all been touched by the war to some degree.
However, it slips our minds here in America while our daily life goes on as normal. So I’m going to give you the chance to take the time today to pray with me for our troops. Pray these words below with me, then try to take a few minutes to pray for those who are serving our military. I’m sure if you give the time to God that your time with Him will be much better than my starter prayer for us.
Pray with me: May our soldiers be filled with courage that can only come from You. Be their power, be their protector, and be their might. Spare lives! Bring them home safely when their service is done. May they not only fulfill their obligation to their country for their time of service, but may Your people fulfill their purpose for which You allowed them to go there.
May they know that they cannot go anywhere that You are not there with them. Give them the faith of Civil War General Stonewall Jackson who knew that You controlled the timing of his death. So he stood strong in any battle and without fear. May they draw their courage from Psalm 91 and be able to say that You are their refuge and fortress, their God in whom they trust. Cover them with Your feathers, and under Your wings may they find refuge. May Your faithfulness be their shield and rampart. May they not fear the terror of night or the arrows that fly by day (Psalm 91:2-5).
May Your Spirit be set free to work in the hearts of men. Pour out Your Spirit! May these men and women be seeking You. Give Your people the words to share with the lost, the seeking, and the fellow believer who needs encouragement to face the next battle.
We pray for love to win over hate. We pray that murderous evil hearts will be convicted of their sins and turn to You.
Strengthen their families and friends while they wait for their loved one to return. Teach them to depend on You during times of anxiety. Give them the help they need as they encounter the challenges of daily life in the absence of their loved one. May Your provision for their every need mark this time of their lives.
Bring our soldiers home safely. Bring them home safely. In the mighty Name of Jesus, we pray. Amen