Armed Forces’ Christian Union

www.afcu.org.uk

Bible Verse

“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” (Exodus 17:11 NIV)

11^th November is the anniversary of the ending of the First World War, and Remembrance Day has been observed in UK since 1919. Although traditionally remembrance has been focused on those killed during the two World Wars, 1968 was the only year since the end of the Second World War when no British service personnel were killed on active duty.

Exodus 17: 8-15 describes how when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, Moses went up the hill with Aaron and Hur with the staff of God in his hands. He watched the battle from the top of the hill, with his hands raised to God, a picture of prayer. Whilst his hands were lifted up the Israelites, led by Joshua, were winning but as he got tired and lowered his hands, the Amalekites started to win. Eventually Aaron and Hur helped Moses by holding his hands up, and finally at sunset, the Israelites prevailed. What a picture of faithful intercessory prayer! A whole day of standing out in whatever the weather threw at them until God’s will was done. As Jesus taught us, we should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1).

What is it that God has laid on your heart to pray about? Are you prepared to prevail in prayer until you know that the enemy is defeated. In the Armed Forces’ Christian Union, God has laid it on our hearts to pray for the extension of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ in and through the Armed Forces of the UK and internationally. Will you join us in our prayers at least during this remembrance week? More prayer ‘ammunition’ can be found at www.pray4ourforces.org.uk.

Prayer Pointers

Please pray for Service personnel deployed in Afghanistan and other troubled areas, for their health and safety, that God will place His angels around them to protect them. Please pray for the chaplains who support Servicemen and women both back in UK and when they are deployed. They live and work with their people, laugh with them, weep with them, comfort them when wounded and lead repatriation services when they are killed.

The number of personnel wounded and injured usually far exceeds those killed, both at home and on operations. Many have life-changing injuries. Please pray for medical staff in theatre and in hospitals in UK as they deal with many horrific injuries – for the skills needed to treat injured personnel satisfactorily, and for their own mental physical and spiritual protection.

Families. Spouses, children and parents have to carry on their lives even with one of their loved ones away. Family relationships can be strained by one partner being away for a long period of time, increased by the additional worry for the safety of their partner abroad. Please pray for good communications, so that serving folk will be able to have frequent contact with home, and pray for strong marriages and family bonds, despite the amount of separation.

Please pray for our Government and military leaders, that they will have the courage and wisdom to make the right decisions affecting our Armed Forces.

Please pray for Christians serving in the Armed Forces that they will have opportunities and courage to spread the gospel, that they will have time to read and study God’s word, and that they will be able to find fellowship.

Please pray for a just and right peace in the troubled countries of the world. Please pray that God will confound the plans of those bent on evil and turn their hearts to peace and justice for men and women.