Can I be honest? I never really gave much thought to our troops or their families, until a friend of mine married into the air force. I had never personally known a military person and so it was sort of an “out of sight out of mind” thing for me. If some one mentioned the troops I would, of course, say I supported them, but that was the only time our servicemen and women entered into my mind. I never thought about it and so I had no idea the types of sacrifices these men and women and their families are making on a daily basis.
Today, I wanted to share a list of specific ways to pray for military men/women and their families in this season, so I asked my friend Kathryn (an air force wife) if she could give me some points about how to pray. Kathryn also shared the idea with her friend Aprille (an army wife) and Aprille gave me some ideas as well! These points are very eye-opening for me, and they serve as great reminders to be thankful for all that these men and women do every day.
I have said it before, but it’s worth mentioning again:
Regardless of whether or not you agree with the war, these men and women need our prayers for strength, hope, patience and endurance. And they need our encouragement! Don’t let your political views keep you from supporting these families and lifting them up to God in prayer!
1. Pray for strength.
Christmas time can be a time when families feel hopeless without their military member or even their extended family if they live far from them. Maybe they have just moved to a new place and don’t know anyone, or maybe they just don’t feel like celebrating Christmas this year because their spouse is gone. They need hope. Pray they find hope no matter how hard it is.
Christmas without a military member can be very lonely. I know that even when I was surrounded by my husband’s family I still felt alone. Pray that the military is surrounded with love during the holidays. That they feel peace and that no matter where they are they will have someone to spend Christmas with whether friends or family.
Pray that each member of the military family received encouragement. Pray that the family can be an encouragement to the deployed military member even when it’s hard. One of the hardest things for me as a military wife was trying to be an encouragement to my husband who was deployed especially during the holidays when I was feeling down yourself. The military member needs encouragement as he may have to work during the holidays and not get time, off he is away from his family, and with people he probably doesn’t know very well. He needs encouragement just as much as the rest of the family.
For military families preparing for deployment soon after Christmas or even several months after the holidays can still be hard. Pray that the family gets along especially the husband and wife. That they don’t pull away in preparation for deployment, but instead make many memories for the year to come.
A lot of military families find it hard to enjoy time together when a deployment is eminent. Pray for them to be able to spend time together as a family and for the husband and wife to get time alone. This is crucial to staying close and getting through the deployment. Pray that they enjoy the holidays and not let thoughts of the upcoming deployment ruin their time or even come into their head. Pray that the military member gets time off from preparing for deployment and for the holidays as some military members may have to work during those days.
1. Safety in travelling
I hope you will join me in praying for our servicemen/women and their families this holiday season, and all throughout the year!
***If any one is interested in sending a care package or Christmas cards to our troops visit Operation gratitude for more information about how to do that.
Anonymous says
Thanks for this post. My husband leaves in a couple of weeks for a year long deployment.
Lisa Lewis Koster says
Thanks for your honesty, and for your great suggestions of ways to pray for our troops!