Changing times spawn much prayer. But properly focused prayer seems to have the greatest impact. February is a popular time for our UMTs to be involved in national prayer breakfasts. Below is a prayer written by one of our Association members and our website editor, CH-Ret Tom Decker. I commend this to you as a better offering this month than what I might have written.

I (Tom Decker) came across a prayer

I wrote for the National Prayer Breakfast at

Madigan Army Medical Center, Fort Lewis in 2002.

This was to be my last participation in the National Prayer Breakfast.

I have done many others over the years at such gatherings

where we considered the nation,

the military’s role in the service of the country,

and, of course, our own “spiritual fitness.”

(that’s Army talk for not forgetting who we are

and what we’re about.)

Below is my prayer for the nation from that year:

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” 

Your face, Lord, I will seek.  (Psalm 27:8 

If we think, O Lord, that we are up early to pray, 

Let us remember those who have prayed all night. 

If we think that our prayers are heard for great words and lofty phrases, 

Let us remember those who pray in silence. 

If we think that we pray this morning out of plenty, 

Let us remember those who pray out of nothing.  

If we pray this morning because we dwell safely within the land, 

Let us remember those who pray for fear of their lives. 

O Lord, remove from us all manner of pride 

    as we learn to walk in humility from the great teachers 

        that you have placed in our path. 

And when we have learned to walk with You 

    by walking with others, 

        make all of us the teachers 

            for the next generation of those 

                who loves true freedom and seeks your face.  

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”  

Your face, Lord, I will seek.  

Amen.