Praying For The Armed Forces
Please see our monthly Prayer Alerts by clicking [Here]
Download an article taken from a talk given by Lady Dannatt at the Day of Prayer for the Armed Forces in November 2008. The aticle is entitled 'Pray For The Families'.
Also view an BFBS report on Faith featuring Lady Dannatt [Here]
also:
Download 'Op Herrick Prayer Diary' to assist your daily prayers for the Armed Forces
Download 'Why Pray?'. A printable version of the following:
Why Pray?
Historical Precedence
D-Day 1944 – The Deliverance of a Continent
The task was a huge one. A massive instrument was needed and God had been preparing it and the men to lead it. King George VI, General Montgomery, Admiral Cunningham, Admiral Tovey, General Sir Miles Dempsey (Commander of the British Second Army in the invasion of Europe) and General Eisenhower (the Supreme Commander) – all these had a declared testimony of their faith in Almighty God.
There was also the preparation of the forces about to be involved in the coming invasion. The Deputy Chaplain-General, Canon Llewellyn Hughes, said: “The consecration of our armies has not been a last-minute effort. We were asked, and strongly asked, to make our men as Christian as we could, to preach the Word of Christ faithfully because it is true; to bring men to God that he might make them good. Most of the men are not regular churchgoing men but they are God-going men, and they have their picture of the King of kings in the sanctuary of their hearts. And when General Eisenhower and General Montgomery in their final Orders of the Day asked us all to pray that God would prosper us, that prayer went up, and went up from honest hearts, freely and fully convinced that the business in hand was a liberation according to the will of God.”
The Decision when to Invade
The Supreme Commander, his Commander-in-Chief and their Chiefs of Staff met at 4am on Monday 5 June for ‘the final and irrevocable decision’. Messages went to all the vast forces concerned: the invasion of France would start on the morning of the next day. General Eisenhower gave testimony to the effect that this had on him, when he was speaking in Abilene, Kansas, his home town, on 4 June 1952 (‘Time’ magazine, 16 June 1952). “This day, eight years ago, I made the most agonising decision of my life. I had to decide to postpone by at least 24 hours the most formidable array of fighting ships and of fighting men that was ever launched across the sea against a hostile shore. The consequences of that decision at that moment could not have been foreseen by anyone. If there was nothing else in my life to prove the existence of an Almighty and Merciful God, the events of the next 24 hours did it.
The greatest break in a terrible outlay of weather occurred the next day and allowed that great invasion to proced, with losses far below those we had anticipated.”
Biblical Precedence
There are many references in the Bible to kings, prophets and military leaders praying for God to deliver them in time of need. See, for example, 2 Kings 6: 8 – 18. Elisha declared to his servant, when the king of Aram had surrounded the city of Dothan with an army of horses and chariots, "Do not be afraid, those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
Current Situation
Arguably the British Armed Forces have seen the most intense fighting in decades during the last few years in Afghanistan, but although it is Afghanistan that currently gets the most news coverage, servicemen and women are currently stationed across the world. At the same time, our Armed Forces, along with everyone else in the public services and elsewhere across the economy, are being asked to face cut backs in both funding and numbers of personnel.
- The Royal Navy and Royal Marines have personnel, ships, aircraft and submarines across the globe, including the Gulf, West African waters, the Mediterranean, the South and North Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Far East.
- The Army is actively engaged in operational duties across the globe, with many troops deployed as part of multi-national forces. The work ranges from peacekeeping to providing humanitarian aid, from enforcing anti-terrorism measures to helping combat the international drugs trade.
- The RAF is actively engaged in operational duties across the globe, including Afghanistan, Libya, other areas of the Middle East, Ascension Island, the Balkans, Cyprus, Diego Garcia, Falklands, Gibraltar and Nevada. The work ranges from peacekeeping to providing humanitarian aid, from enforcing anti-terrorism measures to helping combat the international drugs trade.
- There are a number of MOD civilians deployed in a supporting role at any given time across the world.
Afghanistan.
Our forces in Afghanistan are currently around 9,500 strong. The majority of this force is deployed in the south, with some personnel serving in support of the Headquarters in Kabul.
As at 19 April 2011, a total of 364 British forces personnel or MOD civilians have died while serving in Afghanistan since the start of operations in October 2001. For the period 1 January 2006 to 15 April 2011, 1,664 UK military and civilian personnel were admitted to UK Field Hospitals and categorised as Wounded in Action.
What Should We Pray For?
Our theme for the 2011 Day of Prayer for the Armed Forces is ‘Hope’. This is despite the current circumstances of turbulence, conflict and pressure that members of our Armed Forces are facing.
“But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love” Ps 33:18
Uncertainty, change and fear post SDSR
The Strategic Defence and Security Review was published on 19 October 2010. The review will lead to reorganisation, reform and reductions in manpower over the next five years across all three Services and the civilians in Defence:
- The Royal Navy will reduce by around 5,000 personnel
- The Army by 7,000
- The RAF by 5,000
- Civilians by 25,000
Please pray:
- For all facing redundancy.
- For those fearful that they might yet be made redundant.
- For those making decisions on and implementing the organisational changes.
- For those who will find themselves severely impacted financially, even if they are staying in the Services.
- That sufficient levels of recruitment will be maintained.
Deployed personnel. About one-third of the servicemen and women in theatre at any one time are actively engaged in fighting. Some routinely have to travel long distances by road (or more frequently by air). Even when not serving directly on the front line, deployed personnel face the threat of death and injury from hostile action or road traffic accidents, etc. Working days are long and the climate can be very hot and dusty in summer and very cold in winter; fatigue is a real problem. Those deployed to Afghanistan include Royal Navy personnel, particularly staff officers, chaplains and medical staff, and the Royal Marines take their turn in deploying as infantry soldiers.
Please pray:
- For safety, health and well-being for our servicemen and women whilst they are away.
- For those feeling lonely and afraid in a foreign country far from family, friends and familiar surroundings.
- For chaplains serving with and ministering to deployed personnel, including taking repatriation services and ministering to the injured, the bereaved and those suffering from combat stress.
- For medical staff: doctors, nurses, medical assistants, physiotherapists, radiographers, etc. Pray for skill, wisdom, stamina and insight as they treat the injured, and thank God for the many lives saved as a result of the quality of care they give to the injured.
- For safety of our aircrews as they operate helicopters and fast jets in hostile environments, including retrieving injured personnel from operational areas, frequently under fire.
- For the ground crews who maintain the aircraft.
- For Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel on board ship in various hostile situations, including anti-terrorism and anti-drugs operations.
Dependants and families. Deployed personnel can be away from 6 months to over a year. This puts enormous pressure on marriages. For the serviceman, deployment can be exciting and is the culmination of his military training. He switches his attention away from his family and onto his fellow soldiers who become his first priority. Unlike the soldier’s close military relationships, the wife can find herself isolated, struggling to cope with all the demands alone. She is likely to experience anxiety for the safety of her loved one and fear for the future should he be killed or return seriously injured. Children may become fearful and unruly as they struggle to cope with life without the parent. Added to this, the serviceman may return with post-traumatic stress.
Please pray:
- That God would protect marriages within the Armed Forces and keep relationships alive whilst apart.
- For those left at home that they will be able to carry on their lives with as little hardship as possible.
- For good communications, so that serving folk will be able to have frequent contact with home.
- That children will find understanding friends and teachers with whom they can share their worries.
- That neighbours and churches will provide meaningful support to the families left at home.
- That God would enable smooth reunions and the ability for both partners to recognise each other’s difficulties so that conflict can be resolved quickly.
- For the families and friends of those who tragically lose their lives or suffer life-changing injuries, physical or mental, while deployed on operations.
Leaders, Government, the MOD, Decision Makers and the Wider World
Please pray:
- That our country’s leaders have the courage and wisdom to make the right decisions.
- That our Government will make funding available for our deployed servicemen and women to be resourced with the best equipment.
- For military leaders of all ranks who are given responsibility for leading men and women on operations and who have to make life-or-death and welfare decisions on a regular basis.
- That God will confound the terrorists’ plans for evil and turn their hearts to peace and justice for men and women.
- That the increasing persecution of Christians in Afghanistan and elsewhere will be halted, that they will receive justice and mercy, and that those of us in the West may not forget them.
- That honourable, peaceful and just solutions will be found to problems in countries across the Middle East.
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