Fervent Prayers

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The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. — James 5:16b

Perhaps you desire to pray for our military members and their families, but just don’t know how. Or maybe you have prayed many times—daily, maybe even hourly, for years—and need encouragement to keep on praying. You are not alone.

I belong to a prayer group of parents who “gather in prayer” weekly by email. We pray for our sons & daughters, our friends, our neighbors—anyone with whom we are connected who is serving on the frontlines or home-front. Our leader is a prayer-warrior whose family has sent many members off to war, and knows the price. Because these prayers are so beautiful and Spirit-filled, I wanted to share a few of them with you—along with Scripture. May you be blessed in your time of prayer for our military and nation. There is nothing more powerful you can do.

As Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.”

From 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17—May Our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

We thank and Praise You, O Lord Our King, Our Savior, for hearing and answering our prayers, for blessing us with health, with encouragement, with hope as we rely on You. We pray for our soldiers downrange, all of them, to be encouraged, to see the fruits of their labor and to be strengthened for the work that lies ahead of them.  

We pray that they continue to be protected, that You would go before them each and every day, that they would stay healthy, body, soul and spirit. Those who are discouraged, O Lord, that they would get encouragement and be renewed in hope. May they be encouraged to practice kindness, and be forgiving. We pray for the leaders downrange, that they be dedicated to their soldiers, that they rely and call out to You, O Lord, and submit to Your leadership. We also pray for our national leadership, Lord, during these perilous times.

We Praise You, Father, and magnify Your Name. In the powerful and mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

From 2 Corinthians: 4:17,18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  

Many of our soldiers we pray for are in their second, third, fourth or more deployments. As they persevere in their missions, let us continue to persevere in prayer for them and their families.

Gracious Heavenly Father,

Your Word is truth and You are truth, thank You Lord for Your Truth, that we fix our eyes on the eternal, remembering our home here is temporary when we know Your Son, Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior. You say our troubles are momentary, but sometimes they feel like forever, so in that light we lift up our loved ones serving our country and those heroes at home.

We pray that our soldiers would see their duty downrange as temporary. That You, O Lord, will help them, encourage them, speak to their hearts as they work day in and day out. Help them to depend on You and Your Truth. Fix their eyes on You, the author and perfecter of our faith. Increase our faith and trust in You, dear Lord. We want to glorify You in all we do, and we want to remember what we see is temporary. Help us all in our daily living. We pray for the families back home, that You, O Lord, would pour out Your grace and peace on them. We pray especially for the children that they would stay encouraged, full of hope and living everyday life in great expectation of seeing their mom or dad soon.

We love and honor You O Lord. In the powerful and mighty name of Jesus, we pray, Amen.

From Isaiah 40:28-31—Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Gracious and Mighty Heavenly Father,

We Praise You O Lord, our King. We give You glory, O Lord, for You are from everlasting to everlasting, You are Creator and we honor You and Praise You, once again, for who You are. We come before You this day to bring our loved ones to You once again.  

We pray that You, O King, will strengthen them for the work at hand, increase their strength as they call out to You, renew them in hope, and give them a strong conviction of their faith in You. Show them Your power in their everyday lives. We thank You, Lord, for protecting them each and every moment. Be with their families at home as they wait for their return. When they are tired, renew their strength: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You are good, O Lord, and Your steadfast love endures forever. Thank You for Your love, Your unconditional love which sustains us all.

In Your Holy, powerful name, the name above all names, Jesus, we pray, Amen

Questions to Share:

1. Pray for others, but don’t forget to pray for yourself as you serve on the frontlines or home-front. Pray for perseverance, perspective, and continuing love for each other as a married couple serving today under trying circumstances.

2. Ask your spouse how you can pray for them today. Then pray for them right then—sharing your words by phone, text or email.