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.
Battlefields & Blessings: Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq & Afghanistan is a publication of 365 devotions to encourage, enlighten and inspire. But I couldn’t wait an entire year to read all of the entries—the stories were just too good. So I sat down and read the book cover-to-cover, never minding the 365-day menu.
Shepherd of my soul and provider for my deck plates, thank You for the rest and replenishment You bring us each day and for the promises of the next. Help us Lord to rest in Your anointing, as we gather for Your purposes upon our life. May the rod and staff of our Group share in the protection and comfort of all who seek the sound of freedom . . . and may we all hear Your voice while walking through the darker valleys of our days. Amen.
I am always on the lookout for good marital “helps”—especially concerning military marriages. The challenges of military life are so many and the stresses so high we need to be on high alert concerning the state of our own marriage and those of our friends. I especially appreciate articles which give advice to help friends help friends. You know—you want to help others with troubled marriages but just don’t know how . . . and are especially fearful of “making things worse.” It’s rare to find such help.
When I was investigating the story of songwriters Bill and Gloria Gaither for the Excellent or Praiseworthy devotional named “Because He Lives”, I read a very interesting thing about the Gaithers which caused me to think about my attitude from time-to-time. Gloria Gaither was asked in an interview what her hopes were for her grandchildren and she replied, “First, I hope they will know God for themselves, that they will develop all of the unique abilities that God has put in them, and that they will have healthy relationships that are eternal. I pray for them, for Bill and me, and for my children at every stage that God will protect us from cynicism. I pray that God will keep us simple and childlike in our faith so that we don’t miss the wonder of it all.”
It’s a song, a famous song, but did you know that it really is a prayer? A prayer that we’ve all heard sung at athletic events, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol by our congressmen on September 11th, at the reopening of the stock market the following Monday, at church services during war and peacetime, at Republican and Democratic national conventions, on radio and television programs, in movies, and at patriotic rallies throughout our country and on foreign shores. Its words burn in our hearts because the lyrics ring true. . . .and the musical score combined with those words bring goose-bumps each time we hear or sing this beautiful prayer.
Editor’s Note: Once again, we are honored to share some evening devotions which are written by a Navy chaplain for his crew members at sea.
Time spent with chaplains is precious time. A few years ago we shared that precious time with a particular Navy chaplain who gave us a glimpse into his world of responsibility—which includes leading a chapel community, teaching Bible studies, completing administrative and training assignments (to name but a few of a myriad of tasks). . . .and being the notification officer and ministering chaplain to those in a wide circumference around his assigned duty station.
A few years ago our church decided to reach out by email to our deployed couples with a nightly prayer--to be offered, at the same time, in the morning on the other side of the world. We decided to use Oswald Chambers’ daily prayers from his own personal journal, many written when he was a deployed chaplain. They are short in length, but long in meaning.
It is no secret that my favorite book about military life as a Christian is Footsteps of the Faithful by Denise McColl. In it there is a chapter by Denise’s husband, Angus, in which he shares his heart about the demands of parenting while living the calling of military duty: At times I have really become frustrated in my role as a military man and Christian husband and father.