The “Praying People” and the Peace of God

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Editor’s Note: This article is written by Sherrey Dennis and re-posted by permission of “Wives in Bloom—The Online Magazine of Christian Military Wives Ministry” found at wivesinbloom.com and edited by Jocelyn Green.

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

In anticipation of my husband’s first deployment to Iraq, I tried to think of all the things that I needed to get done, get organized, get prepared. I had lists of things to do and lists of things I imagined I would need to do during the 15 month separation. With two children that we were starting to home-school and moving 17 hours away from family (our first move out of state), I had a hard time wrapping my mind around how my life was already changing and how it would continue to change during the course of the next several months. I knew that I needed to go to God, but I was so overwhelmed with thoughts and requests, I really didn’t know where to begin. As an organizer and scheduler, one who likes having a plan, I thought maybe if I organized my prayer life, I wouldn’t feel quite so desperate every time I went before the Lord. I decided to assign a day of prayer to a certain topic and stick to the topics everyday.

Monday – my husband
Tuesday – my daughter
Wednesday – my son
Thursday – other prayer requests people had given me

You get the idea…But … as you well know…things don’t always go as planned, especially during deployment. I was so loaded down with things to do that I barely had time to pray at all, much less stick to the list. I found myself praying in short sentences throughout the days and weeks rather than having focused prayer times. I tried not to feel guilty. I knew I was not lifting our family in prayer like I should have been. I knew that I needed to step up and do the right thing spiritually, but I just couldn’t. I couldn’t find a way to really focus on praying, bringing my petitions before the Lord with thanksgiving or anything else.

Several times throughout the deployment, though, I found myself looking around and saying, “Hey, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” Don’t get me wrong. I wanted my husband home. I was tired of being a single parent and tired of being chained to the computer in the hopes of getting that instant message beep. But all in all, we were doing really well. My kids were thriving! I was happy! We had created our own little life there at Fort Stewart, Georgia, even without Daddy. Life was pretty peaceful, much more so than I had ever expected considering my lack of diligence in faithfully taking my requests to God. So maybe my short sentence prayers really were enough. It wasn’t until we arrived back in Texas for block leave after my husband’s return home that I discovered another huge reason for this peace during his deployment.

Because of distance and timing, we were able to keep his pre-Christmas arrival a surprise for our friends and families. Only through an emotional email did we share the news with my family, and we waited until showing up on the doorstep to share with my husband’s family on Christmas Eve. As you can imagine, there were lots of smiles, hugs, many tears and even some shouting and screaming! When planning our surprise, we had envisioned the reactions of these friends and families, and for the most part, we hit the nail on the head. What we had not anticipated was the overwhelming reception that we received from people who had prayed for our family diligently over the course of the deployment. Although everyone was excited that Scott was home and that we had made it in time for Christmas, there was a significantly different level of excitement from the “praying people.” Scott and I commented several times that it was so obvious which friends and even family members had truly lifted us to the Lord.

As soon as my sister, Shelley, called me after reading my email, I knew that she and her family were part of the “praying people”…which did not surprise me one bit. She arranged and re-arranged schedules to make the most of our visit to Texas, and we had a fabulous time. What did surprise me, though, were the people that I saw from her Sunday school class at FBC, Waco while we were visiting…at Wendy’s…at the Baylor Lady Bears basketball game… I had no idea that they had been praying to the Lord on behalf of my family, but it became immediately apparent when we first saw them that they were a part of her group. One couple, who had never met Scott, smiling ear to ear jumped up out of their seats ready to offer hugs at a Wendy’s restaurant. Another lady whom I had never met offered encouragement, words of affirmation…hugs even… at the basketball game, letting me know how thrilled she was that Scott was home and how thankful she was that he was safe. Their excitement over our arrival home made it obvious that they also were part of the “praying people.” Although many of them had never met us (and those of them who had, had done so on a very limited basis), they had been faithful in remembering us. Words could not truly express the depth of gratitude that I had for their kindness and faithfulness to our family and to the Lord.

Their prayers made a tremendous impact on my family. It was this group of “praying people” that God used to help me and my family through a long separation, and it was through the faithfulness of these and other believers that Philippians 4:6-7 came alive for me. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” God showed me through my sister’s Sunday school class (and through others in the “praying people” group) that when I was unable to present my requests to Him, they were presenting requests to the Lord with prayers, petitions, and thanksgiving for me, and in His faithfulness, He honored their requests, granting me the peace that passes all understanding, a peace which I could never define or explain.

Questions to Share:

1. Who do you know is praying for you during this deployment?
2. Pray to God in thanksgiving for these faithful prayer-warriors, and in praise for His faithfulness to answer their prayers.