September 10, 2017

Lord, You have promised You will never leave us or forsake us,
so we pray You will be with our warriors
in Korea
in Iraq
in Afghanistan
in Europe
on the seas
and everywhere

You have promised You will give wisdom to those who ask.
So we ask for our leaders
in the White House
in the Pentagon
on the ships
in the cockpits
on the battlefields

You have promised to draw all to You and to forgive those who repent.
So we ask that our military members would be convicted and turn to You. May revival happen in our ranks!
We pray the Enemy of their soul would have no say in their lives.
We pray the spirit of suicide would be thwarted and Your hope would prevail in every life.
We pray You would turn their mourning into dancing.

We know You give power to the weak and skills to the warriors.
So we pray for our military. May their missions be in the right.
May their equipment function. May their supply lines be open.
May their aim be straight. May their hope, their confidence be in You.

You say You will rescue the perishing. We pray for safety for our deployed. And we pray justice and peace will prevail for the people of the world.

You promise rest for the weary, so we pray for our warriors to be able to sleep. Please keep them healthy. May they not be ate up with worry or depression.

You have promised a peace that is beyond understanding.
So we pray for our warriors' hearts as they are far from loved ones. Give them courage and may they feel Your presence.

You have said You will be a Father to the fatherless. And so we confidently pray for the families of our fallen. Lord please be with them, help with every step and decision, heal their hearts.

What an amazing thing to be able to trust You to fulfill Your promises! You are faithful. You are loving. You are powerful. And You have this whole world in Your hands!

September 3, 2017

Because we need a love that never fails
that never gives up
that never runs out

Because we're facing mountains
and graves
and we need something constant,
some One who will never change,
so we turn to You Lord.

We need You when planes fall from the sky
and ships sink to the deep
We need You when nations rattle sabers
and neighbors raise fists to neighbors
We need You when orders come
and warriors walk away, sail away, fly away

And we need You when we wake to little smiles and happy giggles
We need You when the sun shines and the checklists get done
We need You when the stars come out and the deep breaths come

Because Father God in You we live and move and breathe

God we thank You for working in every detail of our lives
We thank You for homes bought and sold and rented and made at each new station.
We thank You for new babies and adopted little ones coming home.
We thank You for directing all of our families through this military life.
We thank You for experiences and friends and adventures and education.
We thank You for surrounding us everywhere we go.

As we see Your hand all around us, we are emboldened to ask You for more.
We pray for the military spouse, Lord.
We pray for our many projects and volunteer involvements.
We pray for PWOC and the chapels.
We pray for the long days and short years of the moms of little ones.
We pray for wisdom for the moms of teens, grace for the moms of young adults.
We pray for those teaching their kids.
We pray for those in challenging careers. We pray for those in challenging marriages.
We pray You will hold closely the spouses of the deployed.
And we pray for Your healing power to work through the spouse of the hurting warrior.

Father God we especially pray for the loved ones of the recently fallen. Help them through their daily decisions. Give them the peace only You can give. May You be more real to them now then ever before.

May we see Your love surrounding us today. Thank You Lord.

Click here to sing One Thing Remains

August 27, 2017

Heavenly Father,
the One who loves our children more than we could ever imagine,
to You we pray for them.

Lord, as this new school year starts, we pray for their friends, old and new. May they be edifying relationships. May our military kids be shining lights and influencers--leaders!
But mostly Lord, we pray they would be close to You. May they feel Your presence in their lonely times.

We pray for their teachers. May there be joy in learning. May our kids grow in their knowledge. May they be encouraged.
But mostly Lord, may they grow in wisdom in You. May they be preparing to do Your mission.

We pray for their passions and interests. May they find joy in their pursuit of excellence. May their skills be honed for the betterment of others.
But mostly Lord we pray they would feel Your pleasure in doing what they love. May they follow hard after You and not idols.

We pray for our children who are sick. Lord, we ask for a full healing. We ask for You to take away all pain. But mostly Father, we ask that they would become mighty witnesses to Your love.

We pray for their future spouses. Lord protect them and grow them up in You. We pray for future generations that will serve the Lord.

We pray for the safety of deployed parents. Hold our military brats' hearts close to You in this hard time. Help them to not lash out or push back in their frustration and loneliness. May they turn to You when their earthly parents fail them. May they be strong and courageous in You. Don't let them harden their hearts.

We pray for the children of the hurting veteran. Lord, may they get their needs met from You. May they be wise and strong beyond their years and able to help their parent. May whole families be drawn to You. We pray against suicide in all our ranks, all of our communities.

Father God we pray for the teens of our communities. We ask that they have big dreams and strong desires to make a difference. May they not give in to the way-it's-always-been. May they not succumb to feeling helpless or being bored. May they find value in their time. May they be united with each other.

We can ask these things because You are the God of love. You are the Creative One who made their talents and interests. You are the Mighty Warrior who has a mission and a purpose for them. You are the One who holds hope for a better future. You are the Giver of all good gifts--including our children.

Thank You Lord!

Click here to sing along with Children of the Heavenly Father

Children of the heav’nly Father
Safely in His bosom gather;
Nestling bird nor star in Heaven
Such a refuge e’er was given.

God His own doth tend and nourish;
In His holy courts they flourish;
From all evil things He spares them;
In His mighty arms He bears them.

Neither life nor death shall ever
From the Lord His children sever;
Unto them His grace He showeth,
And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He taketh,
God His children ne’er forsaketh;
His the loving purpose solely
To preserve them pure and holy.

Lo, their very hairs He numbers,
And no daily care encumbers
Them that share His ev’ry blessing
And His help in woes distressing.

Praise the Lord in joyful numbers:
Your Protector never slumbers.
At the will of your Defender
Ev’ry foeman must surrender.

August 20, 2017

Lord,
for the sailors in the depths of the seas
and on the oceans of endless blue
for the marines in the jungles
and the soldiers in the mountains
or the desert winds
for the warriors in the skies
and reading the skies
and for all those in the training fields
and hunching over computers and nuts and bolts and bandages and policies
for these, Lord, we pray

We pray for their safety
We pray for engines running as they should at critical times
and supply lines being open.
We pray for good kevlar and good eyesight and good intuition.
We ask You Lord to stop malfunctions that lead to disasters.
We ask for clarity of thinking to stop accidents.
We ask that You would thwart the plans of the enemy.

Lord, please give our warriors wisdom
skill
courage
But mostly, Lord, please draw them to You.
May they see Your power and feel Your presence
May their darkest days be a breakthrough of Your light
Raise up an army for Your Kingdom
May those who are suicidal be so overwhelmed with Your love
May they be unable to run from Your presence

For You, Lord, You are the God of the Heavenly Armies
You stop man's plans and move nations according to Your will
You are the Master of Myriads, and You hold each and every heart
You understand the mysteries of the mind and only You can truly heal
You can bring peace when the nations demand war
You are our only hope
And we are completely overcome by Your love for us

In all our little battles today, Lord Jesus, please draw us to You. Thank You for being for us.

Click here to sing Jesus Loves Me with Chris Tomlin

July 31, 2017

From the mountains of Italy to the swamps of Louisiana
From the plains of Kansas to the beaches of Okinawa
You are where we want to be, and where we don't want to be
When we step onto the stage, and when we sit in the corner of an empty house
When we've got it all together and when we can't keep one thing straight
You are steady

We thank You for going before us and coming behind us
We thank You for the special grace You give military wives
And we ask for Your continued blessings.

You are the One who is able to keep us safe in our moves.
You are the One who can heal our hearts and hold us close when saying good-bye to friends.
You are the One who can orchestrate new opportunities, new friendships, new adventures we could never dream of.
You are the One who can mold us in the 'waiting room', who can shape us during what seems like 'wasted' time.
You are the One who can give us resolve to pour out our sacrifice.
And You are the One who will reward us in the end.

You are the One who truly loves us.

Thank You Lord and may we be aware of Your presence today.

We pray for the mom who is going to pick up her adopted child soon. Calm his little heart and may there be a peaceful transition.
We pray for the wife whose trying to care for her ailing parents. Give her wisdom. May the finances come.
We pray for the mom and the teachers lining out their school year. May they impart a joy of learning.
We pray for the wives in leadership. Please give them insight into team building.
We pray for the wives of the deployed. Lord please give them more of Your grace in their homes today. May the whole family grow closer to You.
We pray for the FRGs, the VBSs, the PWOCs, the coffee groups...all these things that we invest in. Lord, may those around us see You.

We pray for our hurting warriors. Lord, surround them with Your witnesses. Thwart any effort to hurt themselves. Give us wisdom in how to stop the suicides.

We pray for the safety of our deployed. And we pray for wisdom for our leaders in this troubled world.

And we are so grateful that no matter what, or where, You are ever over us.

I will lift my eyes 
to the hills and their Creator
who made all heaven and earth
for He watches me
never sleeps no never slumbers
He's ever over me.
As I come and I go
I am safe for I know
that His grace is sufficient for me
Winter warmth and light
and a shady place in summer,
He's ever over me.  --Bob Stromberg

Click here to hear "Ever Over Me'

July 24, 2017

Praying with Psalm 67 today:

May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make His face to shine on us--
SO THAT Your ways may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all the nations.

Lord God, please be gracious to our military chapels,
and bless Your people in our ranks,
SO THAT more would come to You,
and everywhere the US military goes, Your salvation would be proclaimed!

We pray for our chaplains.
Lord, convict those who are comfortable. Renew their sense of mission.
And please comfort those who are weary. Renew their compassion. Restore their soul as only You can.
May they have significant conversations for Your kingdom today.
Give their leadership wisdom to address suicide, porn, PTSD, grief, and so much more.
May the deployed have opportunities to minister that make it worth the sacrifice.
May they see Your hand in every coincidence.

Unleash Your Spirit Lord! May our little ones have great programs with great volunteers that make them excited about Jesus. May our teens feel they belong; may their best friends be believers; may they be inspired to do great things now for Your kingdom. May our single warriors feel safe and appreciated and involved. May families be encouraged. May Your word be spoken every time and may the songs of our praise be acceptable! May PWOC and other programs be meeting the needs. May Your ways be known!

May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise You.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for You rule the peoples with equity 
and guide the nations of the earth.

Lord, may the Spirit of forgiveness and love and hope that You give Your Church reach into our communities. Please heal the hearts of our veterans. Please wipe out the spirit of suicide. May the hurting feel Your presence, may they know You are chasing them down.

Lord, only You know the recesses and cobwebs of the mind. We pray for clear thinking for our warriors. We pray for healing therapies. We pray for rest.

May the peoples praise You, God;
may all the peoples praise You.

Thank You Lord for the open doors of the chapels. Thank You for the exuberant little ones, for the faithful retired attendees. Thank You for the organ playing, the guitar tuning up, the voices of all ranges reaching the roofs. Thank You for prayer partners and hospitality servants and janitors. Thank You for Your Word remaining the same--from Italy to Afghanistan to Alaska to Florida. Thank You for the body coming alongside us. Thank You for loving us through the Church.

The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear Him.

July 17, 2017

Lord God

The great dispersion is on;

as You have orchestrated it.

Please protect our PCSing military members and family.

Keep us safe

and plant us where You want us.

Use us with our new neighbors, our new schools and jobs, our chapels.

And Lord please heal our hearts as we say goodbye to friends, to favorite places, to the familiar. Help us to trust You for all our needs. Help us to willingly go, to sacrifice when necessary, to do the work You have for us. May our children learn early to turn their pains over to You.

We ask You to help our warriors do their missions too. May they see the purpose and feel the accomplishment. Lord, please keep away the spirit of despair, and may suicide not be a thought. Please surround our hurting warriors with Your presence. Cut them off of every evil path. 

We pray for our deployed. Lord, have mercy on them and may this time draw them closer to You.

We pray for the families of the fallen. Lord, have mercy and hold their hearts.

We pray for our loved ones who are ill. Lord, please have mercy and heal them.

We can so easily get overwhelmed. Make us overwhelmed by Your mercy. May we recognize it all around us. May we always be lost in the wonder of it, whether it is in the form of a hug, another day's sunrise, a favorite meal, the beauty of a rainbow, the forgiveness of a brother. Your love is such a mercy to us.

May we be alive in it today.

Click here to hear Matt Redman's Mercy

I will kneel in the dust
At the foot of the cross,
Where mercy paid for me.

Where the wrath I deserve,
It is gone, it has passed.
Your blood has hidden me.

Mercy, mercy,
As endless as the sea.
I'll sing Your hallelujah
For all eternity.

We will lift up the cup
And the bread we will break,
Remembering Your love.

We were fallen from grace,
But You took on our shame
And nailed it to a cross.

Mercy, mercy,
As endless as the sea.
I'll sing Your hallelujah
For all eternity.

May I never lose the wonder,
Oh, the wonder of Your mercy.
May I sing Your hallelujah.
Hallelujah, Amen.

I will kneel in the dust
At the foot of the cross,
Where mercy paid for me.

Read more:  Matt Redman - Mercy Lyrics | MetroLyrics