Fireman’s Prayer
When I am called to duty, God
whenever flames may rage,
Give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.
Help me to embrace a little child
Before it’s too late,
Or some older person
from the horror of that fate.
Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
to put the fire out.
I want to fill my calling
and give the best in me,
To guard my neighbor
And protect his property.
And if according to Your will
I have to lose my life,
Please bless with Your protecting hand
My children and my wife
History of the Fireman’s Prayer
The only way he could find to ease the pain of such a tragedy was to sit down and put his thoughts on paper. The phrase, “enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout”, sends a chill up a firefighter’s spine as you imagine what he experienced on that fateful night. It was a particularly tough time for him as he had young children around the same age.While most accounts of the Firemen’s Prayer conclude with Author Unknown, the world renowned poem was written by Firefighter A.W. “Smokey” Linn. As a young firefighter in 1958 Linn and his crew responded to a fire in which three children were trapped behind security bars and died in the fire.
His granddaughter, Penny McGlachlin said that back then there were no grief counselors to help the firefighters. Penny believes this was an actual prayer from him, to god for the sake of his own family, the other fireman, and the families of the children.
Smokey joined the Wichita, Kansas Fire Department in 1947 after returning from World War 2. He retired in 1975 and became president of the local chapter of the Good Sam Camping Club. He passed away March 31, 2004 of complications following surgery.
The Fireman’s Prayer was originally published in a book called, “A Celebration of Poets” in 1958. The last copyright of the book was 1998. It is the family’s desire that the credit for the Firemen’s Prayer go to the author, A.W. Smokey Linn.
www.aspiringfirefighters.com
Here are five prayer of protection for firefighters.
Table of contents
A Special Calling
Great God in heaven, You alone know what today holds and I know that firefighters have a special calling to go into places that are often full of danger and there is always the possibility for the unknown. Please help us all watch out for the safety of others in the performance of their duties in fighting fires and that I keep an eye out for others who may be placed in areas of danger. This calling God is from You and You alone and so help me to fulfill my duty and to do so in a way that brings honor and glory to You and Your Great Name and in the strong name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.
Prayer to Protect
Just as law enforcement officers are called to protect and to serve, so too Father are we firefighters called to protect lives even at the risk of our own lives. When needed, please help me embrace a little child before it is too late, to save an older person from the horror of a fiery fate and enable me to be alert and hear the weakest shout for help and to quickly find those who need saving so that I might save lives because life is precious to You and to us too since that is our special call and in the line of our duty to save lives and protect property, I pray for Your help in this and in Jesus’ most precious name I pray, amen.
Facing the Flames
Righteous God my Father, when I am called to duty in a fire alarm, I ask You God, wherever flames may rage, give me strength to save a life, whatever the risk might be and to give me the wisdom to know when not to enter into harm’s way. Help me to be courageous and enable me to be always alert and to give my best effort to protect the community and to guard those who are in harm’s way to protect but first and foremost, to save lives. Property can be replaced but a human life cannot so please place the great desire in my heart to rescue the perishing in fires, to be able to make wise decisions and in facing the flames of fire, and to trust You in all I do and in the mighty name of Jesus Christ I pray, amen.
Greater Love
Holy Father, there is no greater love than for someone to give their life in the attempt to save others (John 15:13). There are times when firefighters put their lives at risk for others and sometimes, tragically, they die in the line of duty and that selfless, sacrificial duty is one of the greatest sacrifices that we can make in fighting fires in the attempt to save lives. No life is unimportant to You oh God, no matter who they are and no matter what status they have in life. We fight fires and protect property but our first calling is to save lives and so bless me, protect me, and shelter me from the unexpected today and I ask that for myself and for those who are my fellow firefighters and in Jesus powerful name I pray, amen.
The Sovereign God
Father God, You are sovereign over all that happens and so according to my fate, if I am to lose my life, please bless my family with your protection and comfort those who would grieve but also I pray for my friends and my fellow firefighters to know that the children of God cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39) because You have promised in Your Word that we are secure in Your hands and in the hands of Jesus Christ (John 10:28-29) so place Your holy angels over us today if we are called out to a fight a fire and to give us the wisdom to make good choices and the decisions that You would have us make. Please direct our steps today and watch over those things that we might not be aware of or if we step into dangerous situations, help to protect us and for us to have the courage to know that wherever we go, You are with us and You will never leave us and You will never forsake us (Heb 13:5) and that promise is not just for me but for every child of God and so in the hopes that my prayer can glorify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray in His name, amen.
Conclusion
Our firefighters often face a great deal of risk. Their lives are devoted to the protection of others and they need our prayers because no two days are ever alike for a firefighter. Things happen that can take them by surprise and can sometimes lead to tragedy. We take these men and women for granted but only when we need them or someone we know needs them do we ever think about them, so the next time you see a firefighter, thank him or her and tell them you’re praying for their safety and the next time you hear a fire truck’s siren, pray one of these prayers for them and thank God for them and their putting their lives on the line for us.
Article by Jack Wellman
Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.
www.patheos.com
Declare Psalm 91 Over Our Troops, Law Enforcement and Firefighters
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my god, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you form the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, not the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me” says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Prayers for LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIREFIGHTERS
We Pray and ask the Lord…for the protection of our police and firefighters in our state. Pray for peace, protection and strength in their homes and marriages. (Psalms 91:1-16)
We Pray and ask the Lord…for angelic protection as they are the first responders in any crisis situation.
We Pray and ask the Lord…for their emotional well being: The mental, physical and emotional aspects are always on high alert. There is a combination of stress and anxiety always at work which can impact the mind in many ways. Divorce can be a result and forms of escapism which are counter-productive to the mind, body, spirit and soul.
We Pray and ask the Lord…for our police and firefighters to make choices in spontaneous situations that continually arise that are filled with wisdom that will bring forth the greatest good. Wisdom is the right use and exercise of knowledge; quickness of intellect; readiness of apprehension; and dexterity in execution.
We Pray and ask the Lord… they would have compassion for the people they serve. Our police and firefighters are dealing with lives and souls that will face God some day. May they have a heart like Jesus Christ and feel what an individual may be going through at the time, and respond accordingly.
We Pray and ask the Lord…that law enforcement and firefighter personnel would come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as savior. This is the greatest need of all as salvation is the pathway to resolve all individual problems that may arise.
We Pray and ask the Lord…they would exhibit integrity, honesty and dedication. A virtuous individual is to be highly regarded and respected. Temptations can present situations for any person to fail at some time. May they have spiritual fortitude and strength to be honest, dedicated and individuals of integrity.
Prayer for Military Personel
We Pray and ask the Lord…for grace for the families of our military, and ask the Lord to release his blessings peace and grace while the troops are serving abroad. Pray for provisions to be met, for health safety and faithfulness in the homes.
We Pray and ask the Lord…that the transition from one presidential administration to the new one will flow smoothly in God’s purposes. Pray that our troop’s moral remains strong in this current presidency!
We Pray and ask the Lord…that our security will remain strong. We ask the Lord to uncover any plan to release information that would jeopardize our national security, or the security of our troops, and law enforcement personnel.
We Pray and ask the Lord…to give success to our military over in Iraq. Pray that they will be able to finish what was start militarily wise and that the mission would not be aborted by pulling out prematurely.
We Pray and ask the Lord…for wisdom and protection in the engagement of troops in Afghanistan, North Korea, and other hot spots in the world where our men and women are deployed.
We Pray and ask the Lord…to expose and thwart every attempt of the Al Qaide and any terrorist organization or plot to bomb our troops in Iraq or to release any type of bomb here on US soil or on any waterway. We ask angelic hosts to protect schools, churches, shopping malls, coffee shops, stadiums and any place where people meet.
We Pray and ask the Lord…for the Generals and leaders of our military, that they will be filled with godly wisdom and strategies for waging war whenever necessary. (1 Chronicles 12:32)
We Pray and ask the Lord…to reveal and place the right information into their hands of our Homeland Security, for the thwarting of any Muslim terrorist agenda or separatist group here in Michigan. We ask the Lord to dispatch angels around the nuclear power plant in Monroe and all those around our state.
We Pray and ask the Lord…for a great revival to break out among our troops. We ask the Lord to pour out his Holy Spirit with powerful miracles signs and wonders in our military. They will truly become Joel’s army! (Joel 2:28-32)
Point to Ponder
“God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world the better the world will be, the mightier the forces of good against evil …” – E.M. Bounds
transformmi.com
