waiting on orders? let's pray

Prayer can be intimidating. And scary. And weird. And overwhelming.

And all too real sometimes.

As a kid I had zero patience. None. I remember memorizing the verse in Galatians about the fruits of the Spirit and thinking, oh gosh, patience?! If having patience was a result of the Holy Spirit living in me, I knew for sure I messed something up when asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I wasn’t convinced my prayers were working.

I prayed the salvation prayer over and over again because I knew I didn’t do it right the first time. After all, shouldn’t you magically be able to show unending amounts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control if you are a real Christian?

In addition to asking Jesus to be with me hourly, I prayed for patience. I prayed for patience in high school. I prayed for patience at home. I prayed for patience in college. I prayed for patience in my marriage. I prayed for patience as we entered military life. I prayed for patience more than I prayed for anything. For over ten years I can remember asking the Lord why it wasn’t coming any easier to me. Why wasn’t He listening? Why, after so much prayer, wasn’t I more patient?

Well, in 2013 he answered my prayer for patience in the loudest and most clear way possible. 

He turned our family of 3 to a family of 6 overnight. With the addition of triplets, the Lord wanted to make extra sure I had plenty of opportunities to practice patience. 

Never have I ever prayed for patience since 2013. 

Prayer is a very real thing and God hears us. 

I share this story with you to encourage you, but also to challenge you in your prayers.

Military wife life offers us many opportunities to hit the floor in prayer. We pray for our kids to transition well. We pray for our husbands to be safe overseas. We pray for understanding in our marriages. We pray to make new friends at each duty station. There is no shortage of opportunity for prayer as a military wife.

But when your husband is up for new orders and you are looking through the available jobs, creating your dream sheet, do you pray? What do you pray for? What does it look like and how can we lean on Jesus in these seasons?

How to Pray Through Military Orders

Last month, I asked a question on my Instagram stories, “When your husband is up for new orders, how do you pray?”

Today, I want to help guide you as you pray through orders and I want to give you a warning of what not to do when you are in this season.

I haven’t always done this right. I haven’t always approached these seasons with the right posture and mindset, but with the help of amazing mentors and other Christian military wives, I’m learning a lot!

I want to start by showing you some of the responses I got on Instagram last month.

Lord, prepare our hearts. Warm our hearts.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Changing duty stations and jobs is chaotic. Sometimes the best prayer we can pray is for our minds to be prepared and warmed to the idea of change ahead of time. If the Lord can do a new work in your heart and mind before the decision is made, your response to the change will be full of grace. What a beautiful way to approach a new set of orders.

Lord, send us where we can accomplish your will.

This is a big, bold prayer. You might be thinking how scary this prayer is and you aren’t wrong. To fully release control into God’s hands is a bold prayer. It’s absolutely the right approach, but whew, it’s tough! If you have a hard time with this prayer, ask the Lord for help. Ask for grace as you learn how to pray this way. It’s okay if it’s hard! You’ll learn so much in the process.

God, use us for your glory.

No matter where we end up, let us be used to glorify you. No matter if it’s where we want to go or not, let us be used to glorify your name. Let our story be written in a way that shines light on You. This prayer is amazing because it shows you’ve moved past any resistance. It shows you’ve fully accepted military life and are willing to go where He sends you as long as He can use you for His glory. Amazing.

We have wonderful military wives in our communities and I pray their responses are teaching you something! 

Another way to pray through a set of orders is to ask! Ask the Lord. He wants nothing more than to have a relationship with you and good relationships are grounded in good communication. Communication isn’t just one way. Instead of telling the Lord, try asking him. Ask him for guidance as you and your husband make decisions. Ask him for surety as you narrow down your list. Ask! Don’t just talk at God, but invite him into the conversation.

What Not To Do

Okay, so now what not to do: Stop not praying.

You may have never even thought about praying your way through orders, but I encourage you to start! If you don’t know how or where to begin, use some of the suggestions above or check out this IGTV episode titled, “How to Pray When the Military Throws a Wrench”

I also have an email series all about prayer for military wives. 

At the end of the day, the Lord is your Father. Talk to him like a friend, like a Dad. He wants to hear your heart’s desire and you don’t have to be afraid to tell him what you want. What you want may not be His best for you, but have an open heart. Have an honest chat with your friend Jesus and at least ask him to be with you and your family. His presence trumps all.

But seriously be careful if you are praying for patience as you wait for orders. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!