Call to Prayer for Our Armed Forces

"May the father of all mercies scatter light, and not darkness, upon our paths, and make us in all our several vocations useful here, and in His own due time and way everlastingly happy." —George Washington

We ask you, Patriot citizen, to please pray for our uniformed Patriots who stand in harm's way around the world, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, in defense of our liberty, and for their families awaiting their safe return. To those Patriots in uniform, we thank God for you, your courage, tenacity and vigilance.

As America's Armed Forces fight the current war against Islamist fascism, we believe that Patriots on the home front should be prayerful for their mission, their safety, their families and, indeed, even their salvation. Scripture repeatedly commands us, as Christians, to be a people of prayer. Philippians 4:6 says, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."

President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and others have continually noted that our Armed Forces and their families are in our prayers. Let this be no less true today than five years ago, when this war began.

The words of George Washington's First Inaugural Address are also fitting: "The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the republican model of government, are justly considered deeply, perhaps as finally, staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." May we, the American people, then turn that trust to God, who in His sovereign wisdom gave us the freedom we enjoy.

For guidance in this particular endeavor, please see Psalm 91, sometimes known as "The Soldier's Psalm."

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust."
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 "Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation."

We remain the proud and the free because Patriots -- American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coastguardsmen -- have stood bravely in harm's way, and remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks and prayers.