For families with a loved one in the military, waiting is at the top of the skill-set list requirement. We are always waiting for something:
- Our loved one to come home from deployment.
- Our loved one to leave on deployment.
- A promotion.
- A change of duty station.
- The next conflict requiring troop deployment.
The list could go on and on and on.
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But there’s one thing most of us are afraid to add to the list, even though it’s ever present in our minds—unanswered prayers.
For those of us with military connections, prayer is a very real lifeline. It brings power to the powerless and peace to those who are overcome with fear.
So what do we do with those seemingly unanswered prayers just hanging around?
1) Remember that God’s timing is perfect.
He’s never late, never early, and will never abandon you or those you love. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” (Habakkuk 2:3)
2) Go back to the last thing God said and start there.
So often I want to jump ahead to what I think God is going to do—especially when my prayers go unanswered. Instead, in these instances, I’ve learned to go back and stick close to His side. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105)
3) Do the next thing.
I’ve found that when I look at the big picture—especially if it’s filled with confusion—I get overwhelmed. The answer to this is to do the next thing, then the next, and so on. By the time I’ve done several things, the answers I’m seeking begin to appear. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
It’s in these times that I’ve found my faith grows the most. So I hang on and trust God to be true to His promise of blessings and provision.
Giving Our Troops the Power of Hope and Inspiration
Guideposts is more than magazines, books and a website. It’s an Outreach Ministry that serves people around the globe. One of our outreach missions is to provide hope, inspiration and faith to the United States Armed Forces, including veterans, and we've been doing that for more than 60 years. Our Military Ministry distributes well over 1,000,000 booklets, 700,000 copies of Guideposts magazine, 53,000 Daily Guideposts, and thousands of personally signed Christmas cards to help uplift, inspire and sustain our Troops stationed at military bases around the world.
Click here to support Guideposts Outreach Ministry
How Military Outreach Began
In February 1945 when Guideposts was formed, World War II was dramatically impacting the lives of everyone, especially soldiers and their families. Our country was founded on religious faith, so our mission was and still is, to revive faith’s immense power for good--and our Military Ministry was created to help serve those who serve our country. Pictured above, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, founder of Guideposts, visits the troops in Vietnam.
Stories That Heal the Spirit
Chaplain (Col.) Charles Howell Colonel, US Army (Ret.), pictured above, shares the importance of Guideposts Outreach to his ministry.
"My ministry team and I have distributed tens of thousands of Guideposts over the last 30 years, particularly in military hospitals. Time lies heavy on a patient’s hands, time for all kinds of worries to creep in. At the hospital, the doctors and nurses handed out medicine for healing of the body. I offered stories for healing of the spirit. Most recently I was head of the chaplains at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Often I was dealing with spouses and parents whose loved ones were suffering from grievous injuries. I’d listen to them, pray with them, offer advice and leave them with a copy of a magazine that still says, 'I am with you. Don’t let fear overwhelm you. You can overcome this problem and grow stronger and wiser through it.'”
Celebrating 64 Years of Service
We are in our 64th year of supporting all branches of the Armed Forces, Veterans Administration personnel, and loved ones by providing inspirational booklets, resources and more. In the last five years, we've distributed more than seven million uplifting booklets to those serving in the military, veterans and loved ones.
Chaplain Rob Carter, Director of Pastoral Care at Nyack Hospital (not pictured) on how Guideposts booklets and magazine help him reach out and connect with those in need. “[Guideposts publications] connect with something we’re struggling with in our own lives...A safe way for a Soldier, member of the hospital staff to say, ‘Hey, do I trust you? I’m going to make this connection with what was made in Guideposts. If your response is affirming, then later on I’m going to share with you [in] trust what I’m struggling with in my own life.’ [Guideposts] is a conduit and invitation to care.”
Early in his career Col. Ken Sampson (Ret.), pictured above, came across a booklet from Guideposts called "Thought Conditioners." “It was great,” he says, “full of Bible verses and practical help.” He gave the booklet to a man in Special Forces and saw that it hit the mark. Even the size was just right, easy to carry around in a pocket. Since then, Chaplain Sampson (Ret.) has handed out countless copies of our booklets and Guideposts magazine. “The stories have the real-life stuff people struggle with,” he says. “And they offer a wide breadth of spiritual experience and perspective.”
A Tangible Way to Thank Our Soldiers and Veterans
“In addition to your prayers, support of Guideposts Military Outreach is a tangible way for you to thank our Soldiers and Veterans. Supporting Guideposts Outreach is your opportunity to ensure that those who are giving so much to their country have at their fingertips the faith-filled reading material that will inspire them, provide hope in their times of darkness and despair, and enable them to feel the presence of God in their stressful lives.” Retired Chaplain (Major General) G.T. Gunhus, pictured above ministering to a Soldier.
Supporting Loved Ones
Guideposts Military Outreach serves our service men and women and their families. Here, a military wives group in Lhandstuhl, Germany shares copies of Guideposts magazine.
In addition, Guideposts partners with other non-profit organizations like Operation Gratitude which sends care packages to military servicemen and women. Each month Guideposts sends 10,000 copies of Guideposts magazine to be included in Operation Gratitude's boxes of goodies. Some recipients send heartfelt letters of thanks, like this one. “My shipmates and I have enjoyed the cookies…. I’ve enjoyed reading through the Guidepost magazine... Thanks so much for the all the packages you’ve sent!” –L.A.
Giving Spiritual Endurance
The aim of our Military Outreach program is to help our young defenders and warriors, and their families, to stay strong, positive and confident of God’s constant love and protection, and to express gratitude and offer encouragement to our veterans. We minister to those in harm’s way and provide the hope and help they need, by letting them know that they are not forgotten and by reminding them that God is with them every step they take. Learn how you can support Guideposts Military Outreach.
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