Troop Prayer Thread 10 - A Year of VICTORY!

[Alamo-Girl]

I join in prayer for Cheney Chick and all our heroes and their loved ones!

[patriciaruth]

bump!

[TEXOKIE]

Thank you for your prayers, Peach.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the prayers and bump, octobersky.

[TEXOKIE]

You are welcome for the ping, potlatch. Thank you so much for all your prayers for our troops.

[TEXOKIE]

Thank you for your kind words, Rags. Thank you for all you do!

[TEXOKIE]

Thank you for your call to prayer bump, Ms Feather!

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for your prayers for Cheney Chick, our heroes and their loved ones, Alamo-Girl.

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the bump, patriciaruth!

[TEXOKIE]

PRAYER WARRIOR FIELD TRIPS!!!

I.

The Mayor has started a prayer thread for the swift boat veterans. All Prayer Warriors are warmly invited to support this effort for these men who have given their all in Viet Nam and are now doing it once more.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1199841/posts

II.

For an endearing picture from Afghanistan and a fun discussion, put on your hiking boots and go here:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1201411/posts

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for the links!

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Thanks for the field trip to see our warriors bringing smiles to the Afghan children. (^:

Prayer bump for our "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth."

[heylady]

Please pray for the brave soldiers of the 1-7 Cav, Ft Hood , who lost two of their own last week . And we cannot forget their just as brave wives who are also in need of our prayers. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for them waiting back home for word of their husbands. The 1-7 has been there 5 months now with most likely another 7 months to go..a long time for young lovers to be apart. Pray that their love for each other stays strong through this difficult period.

[The Mayor]

Hey, I didn't even know this thread was here..

August 28, 2004

A Time To Cry

Read: John 11:1-7,32-36

Jesus wept. —John 11:35

Bible In One Year: Psalms 123-125; 1 Corinthians 10:1-18

---

My father (Richard De Haan) had been battling a debilitating disease for many years. We asked the Lord to take him home. But as I knelt by his bed and watched him take that last breath, the tears I had choked back on other occasions came out like a flood. As my brothers and my mother hugged and prayed, the finality was overwhelming.

That event helped me understand the significance of the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). God the Son wept! He knew the reality of heaven. He was the source of all hope of a future day of resurrection. And yet, Jesus cried. He loved His friends Mary and Martha and Lazarus so much that "He groaned in the spirit and was troubled" (v.33). Jesus truly felt their heartache.

When someone we love dies, we struggle with a wide range of emotions. If a young person dies, we ask "Why?" When death comes after long-term suffering, we struggle to understand why the Lord waited so long to bring relief. We begin to think of God as distant, untouched by our sorrow. We may question His wisdom or His goodness. Then we read, "Jesus wept." God is deeply touched by our anguish.

When a painful situation invades your life, remember the Bible's shortest verse. Jesus shed tears too. —Kurt De Haan

One year ago today, Kurt De Haan,
managing editor of Our Daily Bread for 13 years,
was reunited with his father when God called him Home.
(March 29, 1953-August 28, 2003)

If you doubt that Jesus cares, remember His tears.

[TEXOKIE]

You are welcome for the links! Thanks for bumping by, my friend!

[TEXOKIE]

You are welcome, Rags. Thanks for alerting us to the swifty prayer thread!

[Alamo-Girl]

Hi there, TexOkie! Here's another bump for you!

[TEXOKIE]

CALL TO PRAYER!!

From our own heylady:

"Please pray for the brave soldiers of the 1-7 Cav, Ft Hood , who lost two of their own last week . And we cannot forget their just as brave wives who are also in need of our prayers. I cannot imagine how difficult it is for them waiting back home for word of their husbands. The 1-7 has been there 5 months now with most likely another 7 months to go..a long time for young lovers to be apart. Pray that their love for each other stays strong through this difficult period."

Beloved Heavenly Father,

We place on the altar all of our troops and those wearing or supporting the military uniform of the USA, but this day we especially bring to your notice the men and women of the 1-7 Cav out of Ft Hood who have lost two of their own. Father, those of us who have not experienced it can only imagine the loss of those who will no longer be seeing their young comrades and heroes.

We ask that you will surround this unit of fighting men and women. Sustain them with your courage and love. Protect them with your own arms and with legions of your angels. Grant them perfect concentration so that when they are in danger they may not be distracted or blunted by the grief that can dull the mind and heart. We ask that you will grant each of them strength and endurance for the sacrifices to which their pledged duty has asked of them. Let each one fulfill to the highest standards they hold for themselves the obligations which they have so graciously taken on in our name. Let your Presence be tangible among them. Let them know that they are loved and honored and appreciated by their countrymen back home. Let them know how special they are to us. Let them know that we have surrendered them into your care and keeping and have total faith that you will be with them each step of the way. Help the time that they are in harm's way seem to fly quickly by rather than crawl by like an eternity.

Father, we ask that you will take those whom you have called Home to a very special place in your Heaven. Surround and comfort the families and loved ones who are left behind. Help them through the grieving process in such a way that at the end of it their faith is strengthened rather than diminished. Help them find moments of joy and pride during the bleak days of grief. Please somehow convey directly into the hearts of these loved ones the high esteem which their countrymen hold them and the Ones they loved. Let them somehow receive into their hearts the love and comfort we wish we could give them.

Father, furthermore, we pray together the words of William Stephenson, the head of British Intelligence during WWII:

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?*

Father, let us truly live our lives in such a way that those who are now in your Heaven waiting for us will greet us when we see them with the words, "you were worth it."
Help us live good and noble lives so as to honor these who sacrificed so very much for us. We can not repay them, but we can surely honor them. Father, please help us to do that much.

We ask that you will enfold all who are at home holding vigil for their young hero in harm's way. Grant the wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings, and all loved ones peace and joy during their time of Waiting. Grant each of the Waiting Ones an adequate support system. Help them to somehow know that their countrymen DO know that they who Wait also serve and sacrifice. God, our very Present Father, bless these families. Hold their hands and let their heroes come home safe and victorious.

Amen


* This prayer by William Stephenson is found in a book about him by (no relation) William Stevenson entitled "A Man Called Intrepid." Stephenson gave a copy of this prayer to Eleanor Roosevelt, who carried it around in her purse. It was written at the dawn of the Battle of Britain. It is a remarkable book about the behind the scenes actions of those who served in Intelligence and Covert operations during WWII. I highly recommend it.

[Peach]

May God watch over our beloved soldiers and their families.

[TEXOKIE]

:-)

We are so happy to welcome you to the circle of Prayer Warriors who are pledged to support our troops with prayer!

Thank you so very much for taking lead point in the spiritual support of the swifties' effort!