Every Morning

Every morning he prays for his son who is deployed in the desert. With his Bible beside him, he reads a verse, types it out into email, and follows that with a prayer specifically for his son and his unit — now on their second deployment. Then he pushes “Send”, and his son knows what his Dad has shared with the Lord that morning.

As a retired Army officer, he knows well the demands of his son’s command, and his heart pours into his words every morning. How do I know this? His wife shared with me his early morning ritual of loving devotion (with his permission), hoping that we could encourage one another in this discipline.

He prayed his way through Romans—sending verses and a prayer every morning from the next chapter:

Monday— “Overcome Evil”

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21

“Heavenly Father, I pray that You would give my son Your wisdom on how to overcome the evil that he faces in his enemies and combat operations with good. Give him the discernment to reach those who are not his enemies, but are nonetheless part of his problem. It is almost like this verse defines the challenge he and his men face, and since it is Your Word and was written long ago, I pray that You would show him how to live it out in his command decisions on a daily basis. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen”

Tuesday—“Law Fulfilled”

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”— Romans 13:8-10

“Heavenly Father, Your words are so simple and so true, yet it’s not always easy to apply them. I pray that You would give my son and his leaders in Afghanistan an understanding on how the fulfillment of the law and the command to love applies to a land of poverty of things and poverty of spirit. Where is the hope in all of this? We trust in Your guidance. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen”

Wednesday—“Passing Judgment”

“You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.” — Romans 14:10-13

“Heavenly Father, help us take on the ‘Mind of Christ’ and determine to do what is right, but not get caught up in judging others. Rather help us understand how to not be a stumbling block to our brothers and encourage them to continue their walk with You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”

Thursday—“Endurance and Encouragement”

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” — Romans 15:4-7

“Heavenly Father, we are trained in the church and in the army to have endurance and encouragement; but there are times when only Your endurance and encouragement can take us through the day or the valley where we are walking. You give us this endurance and encouragement for a purpose. . . unity of spirit as we follow Jesus, so that we may glorify You. Therefore we accept one another, just as You have accepted us. What more can we really ask for? We thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen”

Friday—“Benediction”

“Now to Him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him—to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.” — Romans 16:25-27

“Heavenly Father, I thank You that You have established my son by Your gospel. On this challenging mission, in this strange land and stranger people, there are more questions than can possibly be answered in the world’s sense, but by this scripture You have revealed Yourself to my son so that all nations might believe and obey Your Son. We don’t know how this might happen or when, but are confident that whatever it is, it is part of Your plan. I thank You for my son and his men and pray for them, their mission and their families at home. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.”

And so is the week. A new morning, a new chapter of scripture, a new prayer—the first of many that will be spoken silently and aloud throughout the day. And here is the promise that he stands on: “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.” — 1 John 5:14

This father rests in that promise, knowing that His heavenly Father holds his precious son in His holy and righteous Hands.

Questions to share:

1. What Bible verse could you use to pray for a loved one?

2. What Bible verse would you like someone to use to pray for you?