Sunday Night Prayers

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And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this is mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. — Ephesians 6:18

It’s Sunday night—so I know I’ll be getting an email prayer from my friend several states away. Faithfully, on Sunday nights, she writes to her “group” with the names of the service members related to the prayer team who are deployed and in harms way, so that we can join her in the prayer which she so lovingly types out for us.

It all started three years ago when her son and nephew were both heading to duty in Iraq. In times past we would say “she put pen to paper” to record the prayer that was in her heart for these heroes. But now we say “she typed an email” . . . . . and instantly she connects with people all over the world who are part of the group.

Members of this team don’t necessarily know each other, but our friend has met them in the neighborhood, through networks of friends . . . . even other parents she has encountered in airports when she travels. The comfort that these believers experience knowing that there are others praying for their loved ones is a powerful, yet tender, emotion. I know.

Here is an example of our Sunday night prayer offering:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God , in whom I trust.’ — Psalm 91: 1,2

Heavenly Father,

O Lord, our God, our refuge, our fortress, You are trustworthy and we are grateful. We thank you for our brave soldiers in harm’s way and we pray for them, for Your protection, Your shelter, Your abiding love. We also pray for these loved ones: (the names are inserted here) that they will trust You, O Lord, that they will rely on You, O Lord, and that they will stay in Your shelter. Protect them: body, soul and spirit. We also pray for the chaplains that You, Father, will strengthen them for the love and support they bring to their soldiers and their families. We give you praise and thanks, O Lord, for You are good.

In Jesus name, we pray,

Amen.

As long as there have been wars, there have been loved ones who knelt in prayer for the safety of their men and women on the front lines of battle. And let us never forget that kneeling is not the only posture of prayer for our service members—there is also lifting our voices in prayerful singing. One of my favorite prayers to sing for those on military duty is “Eternal Father, Strong to Save,” also known as “The Navy Hymn.” As years have gone by since its writing in 1861, many versions have been added to this familiar tune—to include verses for all varieties of sea, land and air service:

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

A version was added for airmen from “Lord, Guard and Guide the Men Who Fly” in 1915:

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
Through the great spaces of the sky,
Be with the travelers in the air
In darkening storms or sunlight fair;
Oh, hear us when we lift our prayer,
For those in peril in the air!

A 1940 version included this verse for land forces:

O Christ, the Lord of hill and plain
O’er which our traffic runs amain
By mountain pass or valley low:
Wherever, Lord, our brethren go,
Protect them by Thy guarding hand
From every peril on the land.

So whether we are lifting our voices in song, in spoken unison with others, in tears and cries, in whisper and solitude . . . . we have the confidence that God hears, and answers our prayers.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to You, for You will answer me. — Psalm 86:6,7

Questions to Share:

1. How have you asked others to pray for you during this deployment?

2. How have you prayed for others during this deployment?