DAILY PRAYERS FOR OUR SECURITY FORCES

My heart broke two days ago as I watched the burial of the seven gallant Air-force officers, our latest fallen heroes, who paid the supreme price of service to the nation on 21 February 2021 when their plane crashed in Abuja on their way to rescue the kidnapped school boys in Niger state. It was a solemn occasion and families and dignitaries came in quietly and took their seats under the canopy set up in front of the open graves with white coffins balanced on them, each draped a green/white/green Nigerian flag; with a pair of shinning black military boots and an air-force cap placed on top of them. One of the wives began to tremble and quake where she sat quietly hugging herself tightly, trying to maintain her composure, the Chief of Air Staff gave an emotion-laden speech, the Chaplain gave a sermon… Eventually, the folded flags were given to the families and they then filed towards the graves of their loved ones and stood by them, quietly.

But, as the white coffins were lowered, all hell broke loose and the relatives standing by the graveside lost all composure! A calm-looking looking young man lost it, gave a loud shout of pain and dropped into a squat to grab the disappearing coffin of his loved one! Painful screams rent the air, and one could clearly hear two names being called repeatedly, “Sunkanmi! Sunkanmi!! Sunkanmi!!!” and “Wale! Wale!! Wale!!!” A father and mother stood alone with an airman by one graveside, mopping their tears; a little wife clutching a bewildered toddler stood by another grave, too grief-stricken to cry! Some four or so stood at another, all dressed in unrelieved black, praying; and as they left, the wife said to someone trying to hold her, “But am not crying, am I crying?” My heart broke and I wept with them all.

May we never have such heart-rending occasion again in Nigeria, in Jesus Name.

Therefore, we need to pray fervently and daily for the Nigerian security forces as they battle to keep our land safe for us and our families. My heart breaks and I sometimes break down and weep when any of them falls in battle. Some may say, “But we are paying them!”  Seriously? What is the cost of a son or daughter to a mother? What is the cost of a husband to a wife and her fatherless children? We cannot afford that these brave ones be cut down in their prime and their mothers and wives thrown into weeping and sorrow and mourning. We cannot keep losing them, for that would be like watching while the protective walls around us are pulled down! Let us defend them and ourselves, I dare say, with these targeted short prayers below, prayed repeatedly all day every day, whenever we remember them or hear about them in the news. Once we purpose to pray, the Holy Spirit will remind us no matter how busy we are …

Father, we thank You for our security forces who battle against the wasters and destroyers in our land day and night to keep us and our beloved nation safe…the army, the navy, the air-force, the police including the secret police, the special forces like the Amotekun in the South West of Nigeria, the vigilante groups including the JTF in the North East, the hunters and all whom You gave this onerous assignment. And also, the Service Chiefs and their Commander-in-Chief… 

Your Word says in Jn.15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends”. Therefore, we ask for Your special mercy and grace upon them all and their families left at home, in the Name of Jesus. We pray Lord… 

• That You, Yahweh, the Man of War, Yourself would be the Field Marshall for all our security forces and give the security chiefs and commanders divine battle strategies for every battle and cause them to go conquering daily
• That You would place Your everlasting Arms under every one of their vehicles of war and keep them safe whether on land, in the air or on the waters 
• That You would release Your war Angels to mingle with them to protect them from every weapon and strategy of the enemy; and also to reveal secrets of the enemies to them, even their internal enemies… 

• That You would look after every facet of their physical and spiritual welfare and those of their families so that the troops will not be distressed and distracted from the fight 

• That you would strengthen the weary and those discouraged; visit and heal the sick and wounded; and comfort the families who have lost loved ones in the war…

 ….in Jesus Name we pray, Amen