Troop Prayer Thread 10 - A Year of VICTORY!

THREE CHEERS FOR OUR WONDERFUL TROOPS, THEIR ALLIES, AND ALL WHO ARE SERVING IN SUPPORT CAPACITIES IN THE WAR ON TERROR! YOU HAVE GIVEN THIS NATION A YEAR OF VICTORY IN THAT WAR! The honor is yours, but know that we bask in your accomplishments and love you for your steadfast service on this day!

Welcome, everyone to the 10th Troop Prayer Thread! Today is the anniversary of the resumption of hostilities with Iraq, wherein our troops have made military history that shall ring down the centuries.

The troop prayer threads are dedicated to giving our troops, allies, and all who are serving the Holy Cause of Freedom, including (but not limited to) the families and loved ones waiting at home and those who are not in uniform but who are serving in dangerous situations supporting our troops and gathering intelligence spiritual support. We seek together to offer prayer, scriptures, encouraging messages, and other devotions dedicated to this purpose.

We have over the past year gathered together a prayer list of these servants of freedom. You will find it posted below. FReeper amom has been serving as our List Keeper this past year and I wish to thank and commend her for doing such a meticulous job of keeping it updated. She has also been keeping our ping list up to date. If you wish to submit a name for the prayer list or to add or take off a name from the ping list, please let either or both of us know.

For those of us who have somewhat limited computer capacity, or still have phone modems, we request that graphics be limited to pictures of loved ones for whom we are offering prayers, special visuals that seem particularly appropriate, and as much as possible, non-moving graphics. Thank you.

Thank you so much for spiritually supporting our troops, allies, support civilians, and their families.

We are grateful to God that for those who have been injured or taken back Home, He has dispatched angels to their care.

Troop Prayer Thread 8:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/994696/posts?page=451,50

Troop Prayer Thread 6:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/917197/posts?page=301,50

Troop Prayer Thread 3:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/873600/posts?page=151,50

For those who wish to pay their respects and honor our Fallen Heroes, please visit this thread:

Dear Lord,
Lest I continue
My complacent way
Help me remember
Somewhere out there
A man died for me today
--As long as there be war
I then must
Ask and answer
Am I worth dying for?"

Taken from the book, "A Man Called Intrepid" by William Stevenson about William Stephenson, the head of British intelligence services prior to and during WWII. He wrote this at the very beginnings of the Battle of Britain and shared it with Eleanor Roosevelt.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?

Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'T is the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.

No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

AMERICA, WE LOVE YOU!
AMERICA, WE LOVE YOU!
AMERICA, WE LOVE YOU!
AND OUR LOVE IS GREAT ENOUGH TO HOLD YOU ETERNALLY VICTORIOUS IN THE LIGHT!

Thank you for the pings and the link, Happy, TEX.

Joining you in prayer for 1st LT Aaron, his family, and fellow Soldiers.

Happy Easter to our troops and faithful prayer warriors!

PASCHAL Homily of St John Chrysostom

Is there anyone who is a devout lover of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Is there anyone who is a grateful servant?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.

For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.
To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.

Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
Rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!

You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith. Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.

He destroyed Hades when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."

Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hades, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

Easter Homily, St. John Chrysostom

26 posted on 04/11/2004 9:22:44 AM EDT by don-o

(((((((1Lt Aaron Cater))))))))

With special love and appreciation in our hearts for Aaron, his wonderful family and friends we say this prayer:

Father, we ask that one of our prayer blankets woven from our prayers and charged with the many rainbow hues of your blessed Light containing all of your qualities of protection, faith, goodness, courage, honor, wisdom, obedience to your Law, insight, ministration, health, and mercy is issued to him. Let these qualities and more be dispensed to him according to his hour of need. We ask that you will also issue him a set of golden chain mail, also endowed with extraordinary ability to protect. Furthermore, we call forth a team of angels to be assigned especially to him, to guide him, guard him, direct, and protect him. We invoke miracles of protection this day on his behalf whenever he enters into a dangerous or threatening situation.

Father, surround Happy2BMe's entire family while they hold vigil for this young warrior. He is their hero, as well as ours. Grant this family your attention, care, and ever-present comfort. Grant them abundant faith, peace of mind, and joy despite any separations his duties require.

We are grateful for the service of this young man, and we ask that you will multiply that gratitude so that he can feel and know it deep in his heart at some level. All which we have invoked for young Aaron and his family we call forth for all who wear the uniform or serve beside our troops in some capacity and their families. Adjust our prayers and let them be aligned with thy Will. On this blessed day of Easter, we remember our Lord and have such faith that He and you, our beloved Father, will remember us and our prayers for all our young heroes. Let the winds of the Holy Spirit sweep across our land and let all of our people and our leaders be awakened and remember the High and Holy calling for which our nation was founded: the Defense of FReedom.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ who shed His blood for all of us, on the day we celebrate His resurrection. Easter 2004.

Amen!

PRAYER WARRIOR FIELD TRIP...and This 'N That!!!

MEG33 brought a thread to our attention which is the history of the battle prayer for good weather commissioned by General Patton. The history includes a discourse on the need for prayer in battle by the General. It's a good read, and worth the time you might choose to spend on it. So put on your hiking shoes, and gather up your notebooks and go here:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1116011/posts

I received an email from my aunt the other day. (She's the one who is married to my uncle who dropped into Normandy and Holland with the 82nd Airborne.) I thought ya'll would enjoy this little story. As a great sage said once, "a twinkle of mirth is needed on earth!"

In mysterious ways...............

A college professor, an avowed Atheist, was teaching his class. He
shocked several of his students when he flatly stated he was going to
prove there is no God.

Addressing the ceiling he shouted: "God, if you are real, then I want you
to knock me off this platform. I'll give you 15 minutes!"

The lecture room fell silent. You could have heard a pin fall. Ten
minutes went by. Again he taunted God, saying, "Here I am, God.
I'm still waiting."

His count-down got down to the last couple of minutes when a Marine just
released from active duty and newly registered in the class walked up to
the professor, hit him full force in the face, and sent him ass over
tea-cups from his lofty platform.

The professor was out cold!

At first the students were shocked and babbled in confusion. The young Marine took a seat inthe front row and sat silent. The class fell silent...waiting.

Eventually, the professor came to, shaken. He looked at the young Marine
in the front row. When the professor regained his senses and could
speak he asked: "What's the matter with you? Why did you do that?"

"God was busy. He sent me."

In her post 266, amom, our list keeper announced that she would be adding JeeperFreeper's number one son, a Marine grunt, 0311(SAW gunner), with the Alpha Co., 1st Bn., 5th Marines, in Fallujah, Iraq, to our prayer list. Amom listed a link relating some information about what his unit has been up to lately.

MERCIFUL HEAVENLY FATHER OF US ALL,

We come to you on bended knee asking you to please place your loving attention and protection upon JeeperFreeper's number one son in the Marines serving in Fallujah, Iraq.

Send to him and his buddies, in our name and in the name of our Lord Christ Jesus, legions of protection angels. Place the whole armor of God including but not limited to one of our prayer-woven blankets and a burnished set of golden chain mail. We ask that you will assign to him a team of protection angels to guide, guard, direct, and protect him. Let there be a triple ring-pass-not of invisibility, invincibility, and invulnerability to all harm placed upon him by the hands of our Lord and His legions.

Father, dispense to this Marine all the qualities of protection, courage, power, love, faith, wisdom, hope, obedience to the Lord, health, ministry, and mercy according to his hour of need. Let him transcend himself, by thy Grace, to perform his duties with the honor and highest standards he holds for himself. We have great faith in him and are so grateful for his service. Please let him know deep in his heart that his actions on our behalf this day and in the days to come are supported by us and received with the gratitude they deserve.

Surround Jeeper and their entire family during this difficult time of separation. Hold them tangibly in your blessed great arms while they wait for news of their son during these days of uncertainty. Grant them an extraordinary abundance of faith and peace of mind. Grant them joy despite the stresses, and grant them the ability to rest with total trust that you, our heavenly Father, have all under your loving care and control.

Father, we ask that the way be made clear in Fallujah and in the other hot spots which are being reported in Iraq. Guide our civilian leadership. Guide our military leadership. Give to all those levels of leadership, from the President on down through the entire officer corps to the lowliest 2nd lieutenants YOUR Vision and Plan for what must take place in these circumstances. Grant our Troops and all the people of this nation and our allies that shared Vision of Victory which must be won.

Father, clear the way for our troops with our prayers, as General Patton has instructed us! SHATTER!! all opposition to the Holy Cause of Freedom! SHATTER AND BIND!! all who are the Enemy, and who spew forth their hate and hate creation throughout the Middle East! SHATTER AND BIND!! the entire momentum of centuries of that hatred to the point that hatred is a habit and point of honor to these people, so that they dont even remember why they first began to hate! Cut free your children from those dark momentums of the centuries, and let those who are the originators of the cause and core behind that hatred be bound in the earth and be bound in unseen realms! CLEAR the way on that battlefield! Send forth those legions of VICTORY! AND LET THE VICTORY BE WON BY YOUR GRACE AND MERCY with a minimum of loss of life of your best servants! We invoke in this hour miracles of protection!

Father, if we have prayed amiss in any way, please adjust our prayers. Take the fervor of our hearts and let that fervor be as a fire to add to the flames of Victory which are descending in this hour by your divine Grace and Word and multiplied according to thy Will!

All which we have called forth for this special Marine, we call forth for all his buddies and each and every precious Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Airman, and CoastGuarder. We call it forth for all who gather intelligence or serve as support personnel. We call it forth wherever you have a lonely servant fighting the good fight for Freedom. Father, God, bless each and every one of them, for they are our greatest treasure.

Amen

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