October 1, 2019

Lord God who made the body--
the fibula, the mitochondria, the canine tooth, the pupil--
You are the Master of the creation,
down to the cells.
You alone can truly protect, truly heal.

Thank You for the head,
our minds that can imagine cantatas,
figure out how to move ships and fly planes,
create the will power to keep taking one more step.

We pray for our warriors' heads. We pray for safety and the functioning of helmets. We pray for protection of hearing. May their eyes be able to see; and may their heart be able to handle what they see. We thank You for dental care and we pray our deployed would not be hindered by a toothache. We pray for our veterans with traumatic brain injuries. May they have patience in the healing.

Lord, our very breath of life is from You. We pray for the health of our warriors' lungs. May they be protected from the many fumes. May they learn to use this gift of cleansing breath in focusing on You.

We thank You for strong shoulders and the ability to carry heavy loads, physically and emotionally. And we pray for those who have to. May they be able to give the burden to You and draw from Your strength.

We thank You for arms to hold and hands to work. May we use them to do Your bidding, whether it is to destroy or to build. Please strengthen our warriors' arms and give their hands the skills needed.

We thank You for the strength in the legs. We pray for the new recruits trying to pass the pt test. We pray for the old sergeants needing foot surgery. We pray for our deployed's safety as they march over foreign lands.

Father, please be with our veterans who have lost limbs. May they find courage and purpose to complete this new mission You have given. Please be with all our veterans as they deal with pain, injuries, failing bodies. May You become greater in their lives.

Lord, You know all the things that have to function rightly for our warriors to get out of bed in the morning. We pray for those who are sick, those fighting cancers, those whose hearts can't keep up. Please give doctors wisdom, caregivers courage, patients patience.

Whether in sickness or in health, may our military members see You, the Giver of the gift of life.

September 2, 2019

When the days are endless
the tasks are thankless
the job is grim;
When the mission seems meaningless
the help seems hopeless
the work as vain as trying to catch the wind--

Encourage us Lord.
Strengthen the heart of our warriors.
Though they be knocked down, may they not be out.
Renew their sense of purpose.
May they see Your hand working through them.

For heavy is the responsibility You have given the American warrior.
May we take our place alongside Jeremiah as Your servants.
"Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant." (1:9-10)
May we take Your Word to the nations.
May we do Your will always.

We pray for the seasoned drill sergeant
and the young recruit.
May the training be strong.
In the crushing, the stripping, may they find their strength in You.

For those in theater
and those in the office
May they work with integrity, diligence, clear-purpose.

We pray for wisdom for our leaders.
We pray for unity for our ranks. May You be the grace between all as they work together.
We pray our Christians will shine, shine, shine.

And we thank You for this work, Lord.
Thank You for physical strength, mental clarity, emotional endurance.
As we see Your work all around us--everything made with such love, beauty, creativity--
we want to join You in caring for it.
So please be with us today. Amen.

September 1, 2019

Establish the work of our hands, Lord.

You are the One with all power to complete all tasks,
all wisdom to unravel problems
all love to care for Your people.

And yet You limit Yourself, and involve us in the work.
You give grace in our failings.
You give joy in our accomplishments.
You give growth in the struggle.

Help us to see this day's work as You do, as a gift given,
as a means in which we can serve You.
Help us today to do each task with all diligence and a joyful spirit,
as working for You
because we are.

We pray for the military spouse who is looking for paid work.
Lord, may the right opportunity come open.
But if not, help them to trust in You for the finances, the self-worth, the joy in the mission You have given them.

We pray for the moms who are overwhelmed by their work, like those raising little ones with deployed husbands. Lord help them prioritize. Help them to love the job. Help them to sleep.

We pray for the many military spouses' volunteer work. May our communities continue to be blessed by them. May there be many hands to make light work. May the efforts bring people together as a team.

We pray for our hurting veteran families. Please show those who can't work new purpose. Be with the spouses who are now shouldering the financial responsibilities. We pray against any pressures that would cause suicidal thoughts.

We pray for our attitude in facing tasks--not with bitterness, nor conceit, nor laziness. May we show our children by example what it means to truly serve others with joy, humility, passion. Break us of our addiction to comfort Lord. May we especially be always ready to work in Your fields of harvest--telling others the Good News of Jesus.

We thank You for the work You have done and continue to do in our lives. Be with us now in ours. Amen.

June 2019

Praying with excerpts from Revelations 5 today:

"Worthy are you to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood
you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language
and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom
and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth."

Lord God of the Universe
who orchestrates time and orders and life seasons
who is beyond all we can comprehend
who brings us to yourself through your own sacrifice,
what a gift to pray to you!
To be allowed entrance into the very throne room!
To have a loving, sympathetic ear with the Creator of all!

Teach us to praise you--
To join with all the creatures, and the myriads of angels,
and thousands who have gone before in saying:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!"

Lord Jesus teach us to pray
to use this gift, this weapon
this access to such power
May we diligently add our prayers to "the golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

We ask that we would be drawn to your side.
We ask that our requests would be in your will.
We ask that we would submit and trust your answers.

We pray for the people of the military, Lord. May the people of our warrior tribe bend their knees before you.
For military spouses, Father, please hold us close and strengthen our hearts.
May our children turn their faces to you God.
Please heal our veterans, inside and out.
Lord may our missions be just and successful.
May we be your instrument throughout this world.

It is to you we pray:

"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory
and might forever and ever!"

Amen!

May 19, 2019

Praying with verses from Isaiah 12 for our deploying warriors this week:

Lord,

When our warriors turn to face the battle,

like You turned to face the cross,

may they feel Your presence.

When they sacrifice their time, their comfort, their desires--

a small glimpse of Your example--

give them the courage needed.

For You Lord are the source of all strength to carry burdens

the source of all love that makes us brave enough to sacrifice

the source of all hope of a greater good.

"Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and defense;

He has become my salvation." 

Thank You Lord! Thank You for great strategies, great equipment, great training.

But all of that is nothing compared to having You as our strength and defense.

We can do nothing without You.

"With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say: 'Give praise to the Lord, proclaim His name;

make known among the nations what He has done,

and proclaim that His name is exalted."

For those who are deployed or deploying, Lord may they turn their eyes to You.

May fear turn to joy in anticipating seeing You work.

May the hard times bring an intimacy with You like never before.

And when those stories of being saved come, may we praise You as ruler of circumstances and battles.

"Sing to the Lord, for He has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you."

With this confidence in You our leader, we pray for our warriors. May their missions be right and successful. Please be with their loved ones and be the grace between them as they say goodbyes.

We pray for those who have lost their warriors. Lord hold them close.

And we pray for those who continue to fight personal battles. May suicide never be an option. May our veterans be surrounded with care.

Thank You Lord for all the victories already given. We will follow You.

May 5, 2019

Lord, we were not made for this.
We were not made for separation
for fear
for war.
We have fallen so far in this world.

Yet You still reign in our brokenness
You still comfort in our loneliness
You still triumph in our tragedies

You alone can turn mourning into dancing
You alone can make our hardest times into our best times
You alone can redeem the time

Thank You Lord!
We turn our eyes to You
We pin all of our hopes on You
You are the One who commands time
You are the One who can delay planes or speed ships
You are the One who can send storms or clear skies
You are the Almighty.

And so we pray confidently for our deploying warriors.
We pray for all who love them.
May the time of separation be a time of leaning--hard--into--You.
May the quiet nights be a time to pray as never before.
May the struggles with dishwashers and employers and sassy, hurting kids be a time to grow our faith in You.
May the helplessness be a place where we can fully know Your control.
Redeem this time Lord. Make it worth it as only You can do.

We pray for our vulnerable warriors Lord. Give them the emotional courage they need, and surround them with Your people. May suicide be thwarted in all of our ranks.

No matter where You have placed us today Lord, may we grow in our faith and shine our lights.

March 31, 2019

Good, good Father,
to David You gave Jonathan
to Moses, Aaron
to Paul, Timothy--

And so we pray for Your sweet provision for our warriors.
May they find deep friendships, spiritual battle buddies.
May they sharpen each other, hold each other accountable,
hold each other up, spur each other on.
May they laugh together.

This world is too lonely, Lord, especially in our military.
Help our military members find friends, and go deep quickly.
Please help them stay connected through the moves.
And Lord please hold them close; help them grieve,
when so many they know die and they can't take the time to mourn.

May they be willing to reach out again.
May they have those they can truly trust.
May they be quick to defend, to encourage.
May they rejoice with those who rejoice, (even when jealous)
and weep with those who weep.

Thank You Lord Jesus for Your example of selfless love for others.
And thank You for always being with us, even in our darkest, most lonely hours
Help our warriors learn to lean in to You. May Your presence be very real in their lives.

We pray for our veterans. May they find healthy relationships and community and purpose.

We pray against the choking spirit of loneliness, the demonic spirit of suicide.
Lord may our warriors reach out to You and to each other and conquer the isolation of shame.

For You alone can heal the heart.
You alone can be the friend closer than the brother.
You alone will never fail to love.

Thank You Abba.