Earlier this week I posted about the importance of prayers for our military. But hand-in-hand with praying for our soldiers, we must remember to pray for their families. Those who love someone serving in the military fight their own battles at home–in their hearts and in their minds.
Our men and women in the military worry about loved ones left behind. Praying for military families helps ease their struggles and the additional stresses our soldiers face.
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Today I’ll share some specific ways we can pray for these military families:
1) Physical Protection
It’s a proven fact that stress can affect our physical well-being. Having a loved one serving in a war zone is a major stressor. We need to pray for our military families to remain healthy and keep an optimistic outlook.
There’s an additional need for physical protection for our military families. They have become a recent target for ISIS threats. These families are being warned to take extra precautions because of this newly publicized threat.
Pray that these enemies have no access to the families our soldiers have at home.
2) Emotional Protection
Our military families are living with the pride of someone they love serving, but they’re also living with the possibilities of the sacrifice that loved one may be called to make.
Pray for God to protect their hearts from fear and stress. Ask God to help them continue to find joy in the everyday blessings of life.
3) Spiritual Protection
Our minds can play all sorts of tricks on us when someone we love is in harm’s way. We can be blind-sided by everyday events that feed into those fears. We can begin to doubt that God truly has the best in mind for our soldier and for us.
Pray for our military families to remain strong in faith and that they’re surrounded by the support they need.
4) Homecoming
Welcoming a soldier home is a joyous occasion, but it also carries its own stress. For married couples, learning to cope alone during the separation means dealing with an adjustment period as the two once again become one.
Also, those coming home are returning changed. They carry the baggage of what they’ve seen and experienced. We need to pray for our military families to have the wisdom to know how to make this transition as painless as possible.
5) Strength for Multiple Deployments
Multiple deployments are a way of life for those with a loved one serving in our armed forces. And rather than getting easier, each subsequent deployment carries additional stresses. Yes, families do learn how to cope with the challenges of having a loved one far away and in harm’s way, but emotionally the stresses add up.
We need to remember the sacrifices being made by both our soldiers and their families as they work to keep us safe.
Join me in praying for our military families. You’ll not only be honoring the sacrifice being made by our soldiers but serving them in a way that makes a difference.
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