|
June 19, 2007
TITLE: A
Prayer of Thanks
Reunion day has finally come! Paint
is drying on welcome home banners.
Celebrations are rapidly being
planned. Anxious wives, parents,
siblings and friends are counting
down the minutes until their heroes
return. Some are anticipating the
many "firsts" that will be enjoyed
with their soldier. Perhaps it will
be a favorite meal, a special
activity, a game of tennis, or walk
through the neighborhood. Some
soldiers will be greeting children
born while they were away. After
months of waiting, the deployment
has ended.
As we celebrate, we should not
forget all that the Lord has brought
us through. We often call out to God
during a time of trouble, only to
forget Him when the trouble passes.
Don’t allow that to happen now that
the deployment is over, and the
danger of combat is gone. Take time
to thank the Lord for His blessings,
and to fulfill the vows you made
when you desperately called on him
for help.
In Psalm 66, David writes, "I
will come to your temple with burnt
offerings and fulfill my vows to
you, vows my lips promised and my
mouth spoke when I was in trouble."
(Psalm 66:13-14)
Personally, the months of worrying
about a son deployed in Iraq have
been some of the most spiritually
intense moments of my life. After
serving the Lord as a pastor for
almost 24 years, I can honestly say
that I have never prayed so much for
one individual as I have prayed for
my son during this deployment. Not
only have my wife and I sought the
Lord day by day, we often cried out
to the Lord hour by hour, not
knowing the difficulties and dangers
that he was facing. Like most
parents and spouses, we tried to
prepare ourselves for every
possible outcome of this deployment,
knowing that so many families have
been shattered by news of combat
injuries and death. We did not need
CNN or FOX to remind us how serious
the situation was. We knew the
danger, and were powerless to do
anything other than pray.
And we did pray. Morning, noon and
night we prayed. With our friends,
we prayed. With an entire church
family, we prayed. With long
forgotten high school and college
friends, we prayed. Congregations in
Michigan and Pennsylvania learned
about this deployment, and they
prayed. Distant relatives we never
met prayed. Children in Christian
schools prayed. Sunday School
classes prayed, and anyone who would
listen with compassion was urged to
pray with us. How could we now fail
to praise God, after so much
earnest prayer? If we were
sincere in our prayers, we should be
just as sincere in our praise.
Psalm 86 was written by King David
to thank the Lord for delivering
him. If you’re not exactly sure how
to praise God for helping you, use
the words of this Psalm as a guide.
1 Hear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am
devoted to you. You are my God; save
your servant who trusts in you.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for
I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, for to
you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 You are forgiving and
good, O Lord, abounding in love to
all who call to you. 6 Hear my
prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for
mercy.
7 In the day of my trouble I will
call to you, for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like
you, O Lord; no deeds can compare
with yours.
9 All the nations you have made will
come and worship before you, O Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
10 For you are great and do
marvelous deeds; you alone are God.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and I
will walk in your truth; give me an
undivided heart, that I may fear
your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God,
with all my heart; I will glorify
your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the
depths of the grave.
14 The arrogant are attacking me, O
God; a band of ruthless men seeks my
life— men without regard for you.
15 But you, O Lord, are a
compassionate and gracious God, slow
to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness.
16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
grant your strength to your servant
and save the son of your
maidservant.
17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
that my enemies may see it and be
put to shame, for you, O Lord, have
helped me and comforted me.With
David, we can say, "I will praise
you, O Lord my God, with all my
heart; I will glorify your name
forever."
Thank You, Lord. You have kept our
soldiers safe, and allowed them to
return home. You have supplied for their
needs through the prayers and provisions
of their families, their churches, and
their friends. We honor them for their
commitment to our country, and we bless
you for watching over them as they
served their nation selflessly. You have
strengthened them through the difficult
days of this deployment.
You have helped their loved ones through
many trials. You demonstrated yourself
strong to those who trust in you, and
you have shown us all that you alone are
worthy of our worship.
Help us now as we learn from our trials.
Soothe the wounds caused by war. Heal
our hurting emotions. Restore marriages,
and rekindle the embers of love doused
by months of separation. Warm the hearts
of children to their fathers.
Give understanding and grace when well
intentioned friends make untimely
remarks, and grant patience and
forgiveness when evil neighbors say
things ignorant and unkind. Help us to
forget the pain of the past, while we
draw strength from the lessons that we
have learned.
Bless our nation, and protect us, for
there are many who seek our destruction.
Guide our leaders with your wisdom.
Bring spiritual revival to America, for
we have forsaken you.
Protect the soldiers who stand in harms
way, and those yet to be deployed.
Cause us to turn to you during times of
blessing, just as we turn to you during
times of need. Be honored and exalted,
because you are worthy of receiving our
praise. Turn our hearts toward your Son,
who provides salvation for all who trust
him in faith. In Jesus Name, Amen .
|
