An Encouragement to Pray
“The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave or forsake you. Do not be afraid; to not be discouraged.” Deut 31:8. Are you like our family and in the middle of another move? Even if you aren’t, no doubt you have friends who are! Since I last wrote I have discovered a wonderful book titled “After The Boxes are Unpacked” by Susan Miller. During this term our ladies bible study at Duntroon has been studying this book in preparation for the moves many of us will make over the Christmas break. The book is a wonderful resource for those of us who spend our lives packing and unpacking, uprooting and replanting. Susan walks us through the steps of “letting go”, shows us how to start over and finally how to move ahead. Two of the biggest issues women face as they move is the grief associated with leaving behind friends/family and the community that they have established with those around them and the loss of identity felt as they settle in a new location. While husbands have a job to go to “an identity”, women have to establish themselves in an unknown environment. This book is extremely helpful. Not only does it help us to understand that we are not alone in our feelings and that these feelings are normal it also gives lots of practical ideas on how to move through those stages and how to start again. It is packed full of wonderful scriptures and Susan encourages us to realise that God is there with us as we move and that each move is also a time to grow closer to Him and to grow in Christian maturity. Our ladies group has written some of our favourite scriptures mentioned in the book on business size cards. These cards are now in our wallets as something tangible to hold onto during the ups and downs of moving - when everything else seems to get misplaced for a season hopefully we’ll still be able to find our wallets! Can I encourage you to purchase this book? It is wonderful to use in preparation for a move and equally (maybe even more) useful when you get to that new location. “Be strong and courageous! Do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9During this year I have partnered with another military wife and met to pray for ½ hour each week for the military community at Duntroon. Recently another wife has joined us. Do you realise how powerful and exciting it is to pray for those your husband works with, the chaplains on your base, your neighbours and friends? I would encourage you over the Christmas break to prayerfully consider doing this next year. You can be used powerfully by God as you pray for the military environment that your husband is connected to! YOU can make a big difference in His workplace and in the lives of other military families if you will take the time out to pray. Can I encourage you to seek out one or two others and regularly meet together to pray. Can I lovingly remind you this is not an excuse for gossip, your time together should be confidential and something is better than nothing! We have a number of toddlers who join us to “pray” so it is usually noisy but we know that God knows our hearts, He can hear above the rabble and where there are two or more gathered in His name He is there in the midst of them. You do not have to be a wonderful prayer warrior, just pray from the heart and watch and see what God does! Remember to pray for your chaplains who are on the front line…they are the ones dealing with the day to day dramas of military life. They need prayer for wisdom, discernment, strength and boldness to be Christ to those whose lives they touch. Encourage them by letting them know they are prayed for!