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How to Pray for Our Soldiers—and Why

5 important ways to remember our military men and women in prayer

Guideposts: Soldier praying, Bible in hand.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

I’ve blogged several times about praying for our men and women in the armed services. But I haven’t talked about why it’s so vitally important for us to do so. So today I’m going to break down the ways we need to remember our soldiers in prayer and why.

1)  Physical Protection
Any time I hear the word soldier, scenes of war-zone battlefields flash across my mind. It’s vital that we pray for the physical safety of our armed forces. In this new paradigm of warfare, there are no frontlines. Everyone who serves is at risk. Beyond the fact of the constant dangers during deployments, many injuries also occur during training.

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2)  Emotional Protection
During deployment, our soldiers face situations that the average person can’t even imagine. War is an ugly thing. We need to pray constantly for God to gift the men and women who serve with the ability to process what they see and experience.

3)  Spiritual Protection
Experiencing war first-hand can shake even the strongest believer. Reconciling the God we know with the God who allows war to exist at all is difficult. We must pray that God will protect and strengthen those who serve in these situations.

4)  Homecoming
Truthfully, coming home from deployment can be the hardest part of serving in the armed forces. Moving from life at war to life at home requires major adjustments–physically, mentally and emotionally.

5)  Strength 
This is especially needed when it comes to multiple deployments. Going back on deployment is sometimes even harder than going the first time.

While our men and women in the armed services now know what to expect, they also know the struggles they’re facing. And the second and third time around, those emotional and spiritual wounds are often sensitive.

When we raise our prayers on behalf of those serving in the military, we join a swelling chorus of petitions. There is power in prayer and power in the number of people praying. So join me as we lift up our men and women who serve.

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