O great God,
Protector of the weak, God of the nations, Lord of the conscience,
Whatever blessings we have in this land are from you.
Whatever freedoms we enjoy are gifts from your hand.
We pray, on this day, for those who wield the sword so that righteousness may triumph and wrongdoing may be vanquished.
We remember in particular those who preach the gospel to our servicemen and women.
Thank you for their ministry.
Thank you for your faithfulness.
Thank you for their sacrifice.
Comfort their families when they are deployed. Guard the marriages of husbands and wives, separated by the call of duty. Bestow special grace upon all those children far from a mom or a dad.
Give our chaplains wisdom and courage for the unique challenges they face:
that they may obey Christ even as they must obey their commanding officers,
that they may live for Christ, even as many of their friends and fellow soldiers live for the world,
that they may preach Christ, even as they must work side by side with others preaching a different gospel.
Help our chaplains to keep a close watch on their life and doctrine. May they be faithful, winsome, and bold in ministering the gospel.
Keep them steadfast in prayer.
Grant them success in their labors.
Sustain them in the face of danger, in the presence of discouragement, and in long stretches of monotony.
Thank you, Lord, for the United States of America–a flawed, sometimes unrighteous nation–but on the whole a blessing to her citizens, and, we believe, a blessing to many others.
Give us humility to see our faults, the gratitude to acknowledge our blessings, and the commitment to pray for those in the shadow of death and for those who speak to them the words of life.
