A Great Prayer For Soldiers

Physical harm and danger are inherent in a soldier’s job. Soldiers are always at risk of being ambushed by enemy combatants, being outgunned or outnumbered, having their missions go sideways, and experiencing many more circumstances that place their lives in danger. In addition, there are mental and emotional strains involved, like when a soldier witnesses the horrors of war, when a fellow serviceman dies, or when they see destruction. Though the degree may differ, those at risk are not only on the frontlines or in combat. Risks are still involved even if you are a military engineer or chaplain. This all should not imply that people in the military are incompetent. The US military is one of the most competent militaries in the world. Regardless, these risks still cannot be eliminated.

Father in heaven, in a job where physical danger surrounds us, You are the One whom I trust. The days of my life have already been numbered in Your book of life. Hence, I know that even when the bullets start flying, none shoot outside Your sovereign will. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Is There Such a Thing as a Great Prayer?

When we consider whether there is such a thing as a great prayer, the answer to that is both yes and no. 

Let’s get to the “no” first. The essence of prayer is communication with God. We come to God in a place of solitude (sometimes praying in public) because we want to commune with Him (Matthew 6:6). There are many reasons for our attempt to commune with God. We pray because we want to adore Him, magnify who He is, worship Him, and glorify Him (Psalm 29:1-2; Psalm 96:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). We pray because Jesus commanded us to do so in Matthew 6:9-13. He teaches us to revere God in prayer, pray for His will to be done, ask God for what we need to do His will, remind ourselves that we are forgiven and, therefore, may forgive others, and ask God to lead us in the path of righteousness. We also pray because God is the only refuge to whom we can run. We lift our prayer requests to God, humble ourselves before Him, and depend on Him in prayer for our cares (Philippians 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7).

In other words, the kinds of prayers we have may all be different. Some may be lengthier, but it’s not about being wordy, as Jesus said. Some may be short, like as simple as crying out to God, “Lord, help me!” Regardless, by no means is one prayer greater than another as long as the heart behind the prayer is one of reverence before God (Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.     To him belongs eternal praise.), love (Matthew 22:37-38), dependence and humility, (James 4:10  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.), and communion with Him as our Father (Romans 8:15  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[a] And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.”).

 

 

When we say “yes,” what we mean is there are matters that bear more weight in terms of eternity. In other words, a great prayer is more concerned with the things above or the eternal future we have in Christ rather than matters that pertain to our temporal and earthly life (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17-18). For example, yes, we can pray to God for our needs, ask Him for comfort, and give thanks to Him, but we can never say those prayers in the first place unless we are saved. Sin is the gravest problem that humanity has. That is why Jesus came to save us not from anxieties, sickness, or poverty but primarily from sin. Likewise, the Gospel is there for salvation from sin. Finally, when we look in the Bible, we see that the Jews wanted a Messiah who would save them from Roman occupation. However, Christ came to set them free from sin (Matthew 1:21; Matthew 21:1-11; John 6:15).

Between praying for the salvation of your family, friends, and fellow servicemen and praying for provision, safety, mental and emotional equanimity, etc., which do you think is of greater importance? Praying for their salvation is of greater importance. If someone is not yet saved, knowing the Gospel is the most important thing for them, especially since they don’t know what tomorrow holds. 

Another example of prayer that bears more weight in eternity and your spiritual life is the request for godly wisdom and growth in spiritual maturity. You can also seek to always set your mind on the things above, become more Christlike and holy, live a virtuous life, and experience safety (Matthew 6:19-21; Colossians 3:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:18; Philippians 3:20).

How Does That Apply to Soldiers?

How do the texts above apply to soldiers? Well, when we pray as soldiers, yes we pray for our concerns and cares, but also, we pray for important spiritual matters as the Bible tells us.

Does that mean we won’t pray for our safety as soldiers, for a promotion in our military career, for our missions to go well, for peace, comfort, and emotional security when we witness the horrors of war? Of course not! The Bible tells us that by all means, we are to lift all requests to God in prayers, and His peace, which transcends all understanding, shall guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7). However, we must understand that some concerns and prayers are of more importance.

Let’s say you have a friend from the army with whom you go on combat missions. Surely, you can pray for his safety, that he will return to his family safe and sound both physically and mentally. But whether he dies in combat or at an old age is useless if he does not know Christ. Hence, the most important thing you can pray is for him to have opened spiritual eyes so that he can see his need for Christ and trust Him as you or someone else preaches the Gospel (Matthew 16:26). 

The same applies to spiritual matters. You may always be returning to base safe and sound from all the combat or receiving promotions left and right, but those are all useless if you are not growing in Christlikeness and do not live a life marked by the fruit of the Spirit.

Heavenly Father, I pray for my fellow teammates with whom I do missions. I pray that they will all come back safe to their families. Most of all, I pray that whenever the Gospel is preached in our weekly devotion time, You will soften their hearts and open their spiritual eyes so that they believe in the Gospel, repent, and follow Christ, who is the only One who can save them from sin. May they see sin as a problem that they need saving from and that Christ is the only One who can rescue them. Protect me as I go on missions, Lord, and give me the wisdom to always be a competent soldier. But most of all, help me live a life that is a good example to my teammates, reflecting Your character to them in all of my ways. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you are a soldier serving, then the most important matter you can ponder is whether you have believed and trusted in the work of Christ and if you have understood the Gospel. If not, it is important to seek what the Gospel is. In a nutshell, the Gospel is Christ saving us from sin and eternal consequences by paying for the penalty of our sin Himself. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died. He came back from death, proving that He is indeed the Son of God and has conquered sin and death. He now offers the gift of salvation to those who repent and believe. Hence, the important prayer you can say tells Christ that you believe Him and that you are turning away from a life of sin and are committed to follow Him. Remember, the state of your heart is more important than the words you say. The prayer from your heart is the greatest one you can ever say.