Hand-to-Hand Combat

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

Interesting that the Apostle Paul’s profound call to prayer followed his description of the Christian life as a battle in which we must stand firm, fully outfitted in the armor of God—the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

When we pray we go to battle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) These are forces which we cannot see with human eyes, but Scripture tells us that they are very real.

While our son has been deployed to Afghanistan, it has been a privilege to join in prayerful “hand-to-hand combat” every Sunday night with a group of parents across the United States. By email and then “knee-mail” we lift up the names of our sons and daughters, a list carefully kept and a prayer powerfully written by a dear saint. We pray for them according to Scripture, recently using and believing the words of Psalm 37. The following is what we have prayed weekly since July 15^th in hopes that you will find something encouraging in these shared prayers:

Psalm 37:1-6 for July 18th

Heavenly Father, we confess we are often anxious of all the evil around us. We can be consumed by worries and the seeming success of the evildoers in this world. Help us to trust in You, O Lord, and do good. Help us to know that we are safe with You. We pray for our loved ones today:_______________ that You will keep them safe from their enemies; that You, O Lord will give them grace to trust You each and every day. Father, give our soldiers strength and stamina. Give them grace to understand how to delight in You and bring them home safely. We pray for the families of the deployed today that they would trust in You, O Lord and that You would comfort and strengthen them. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

Psalm 37:7-9 for July 25th

Heavenly Father, We thank You for Your goodness, O Lord. We confess that waiting is difficult but You, O Lord are with us in the waiting. We pray for our soldiers today that they would be renewed in hope in You: _______________. Give them Your strength to carry out their work, and emotional and spiritual stamina to continue with their missions. Help them not to worry but give them the peace only You can bring, O Lord. Continue to protect them Father, and show Your mercy to all our soldiers in harm’s way. We pray today for the children of the deployed that they would not be anxious and worry about their parents in harm’s way. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:10-13 for August 1st

Heavenly Father, Lord, You are good. Your steadfast love endures forever. We lift up to You all our soldiers in harm’s way, including _______________ that You would protect them as You have in the past. This week Your Word says You laugh at the wicked because their day is coming. O Lord, we implore You to give victory to our troops fighting this hard fight. We pray Your grace and supernatural protection for all our troops. Lord, as July was the worst month for death in Afghanistan, we pray Your angels to go before these, our loved ones, fighting for our freedom and protection. We pray You will wake up America to pray earnestly for our soldiers and that You would hear our prayers. We thank You for Your provision and blessings. We ask a special peace only You can give to the families who have lost loved ones. Uphold and strengthen them, and Lord give our commanders Your wisdom, knowledge and understanding to fight this battle to victory. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:14,15,17 for August 8th

Heavenly Father, You are our God and we will ever praise You. Thank You for our soldiers and thank You for their sacrifices for our freedoms as they are ever vigilant. We pray You continue to watch over our loved ones:_______________. Father, protect them from the oppressive heat as they carry out their missions. We pray for the families at home waiting for their return that You watch over them. Help them to carry on as the school year starts and give the parents at home an extra measure of Your grace. You are faithful, O Lord, and we are grateful. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:20-22 for August 22nd

Heavenly Father, We praise You, God, and thank You for Your promises; one day the wicked will perish, and Your enemies will vanish, disappear, be no more. Father, America gives generously both of our resources and our precious men and women who stand in harm’s way for our freedom and for those who want freedom and liberty. We pray for our soldiers:_______________. These men and women represent all our soldiers deployed and we pray Your strong hand to be with them . . . . thank You, Lord, for protecting them and we pray continued help from You, O Lord to sustain them. We praise and thank You, O Lord, for those coming home from Iraq. We pray You will scatter the enemies in Afghanistan and make them vanish as Your word says. We pray for the Afghani people who want freedom and liberty for their people that You, O Lord, will strengthen them with wisdom, knowledge and discernment to fight their enemies. We pray for all our chaplains; that You, O heavenly Father will empower them to bring the ministry of the Holy Spirit to their soldiers. . . .We thank You once again for hearing and answering our prayers. In Jesus Holy Name, Amen.

Psalm 37:23,24 for August 29th

Heavenly Father, Your promises, O Lord, are sure. You Father, are full of integrity and Your Word is True. We ask Lord, that You be delighted in our soldiers’ work. Help them when they stumble and keep their steps sure, and we pray for _______________. We praise and thank You O Lord, for Your faithfulness in keeping them protected and safe. We pray for the families of these soldiers, that You Lord would bless them with peace, grace, and hearts to persevere. In Christ’s Holy Name we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:25-28 for September 5th

Heavenly Father, O Lord, Your promises remain true . . . . help our unbelief at times Lord, when we do not trust You. Increase our faith to believe Your promises. Help us to be generous in our love for You and one another. We praise You O Lord, for You are Sovereign. Your righteousness and mercy are part of Your character. Have mercy on Your faithful children, Lord, and see the good deeds of our soldiers:_______________  Do not forget all our soldiers standing in the gap for liberty and freedom. Protect them and watch over them in spirit, soul and body. Thwart the plans of the evil ones who have their own agendas to destroy what is good and right in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lord, protect our commanders and chaplains and give them generous grace to carry out their responsibilities. Uphold the families at home in Your mighty right hand, and give them strength for the long haul. We love You Lord and pray in Your powerful name, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Psalm 37:29-31 for September 12th

Heavenly Father, O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! We praise You, Father, and we thank You for all those who sacrifice daily for our freedom. We thank You Lord for Your mercy on our great nation and we pray for those standing in harm’s way for us. We pray for_______________. We pray for them to have a close relationship with You, O Lord, that Your precepts are with them, and that their “feet do not slip.” Protect them in their coming and going, may nothing come near them to harm them and we thank You that You place Your angels to guard and watch over them. You are mighty, O Lord, and may your might and wisdom be with our soldiers and their families, our commanders and those in government. May we remember how our great nation was founded and return to You, O Lord, giving You praise, and glory and honor. For our soldiers returning dear Lord, protect them and give them physical rest, emotional strength and spiritual refreshment. In Christ’s mighty name, we pray, Amen.

Psalm 37:32-35,39,40 for September 19th

Heavenly Father, We wait for You, O Lord. We wait for You to cut off the wicked and destroy those who want to steal our freedom and liberties. Continue to be our stronghold and uphold those in harm’s way:_______________. Help them and sustain them O Lord. These brave young soldiers have lost buddies in the battle and we ask that Your love will comfort them and strengthen them, that they would understand how to take refuge in You, O Mighty God. Strengthen their faith and give them endurance for the long haul. Be with their families and we pray others would reach out to those at home to lighten their burden. Lord, thank You for answering our prayers. Help us to be faithful in prayer and show us O Lord, what is on Your heart. We desire to do Your will and pray according to Your will. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen.

Questions to Share:

1. If you are at home, pick one of the prayers above and insert your soldier’s name in the blank as you pray for them.

2. If you are the one deployed, pick one of the prayers and insert your name and others in the blank as you pray.