Long Eternal Line

​Several years ago I walked with Dad along the Hudson River where as a cadet I used to run the two mile run.  While walking I prayed for the salvation of my A3 company mates.  As we were praying the Lord prompted me with the thought, “Why don’t you recruit a Christian from each of the other 35 companies to do the same thing you are doing.”  Unfortunately, instead of going home and recruiting others to pray, I procrastinated.  But the Lord is faithful and about a year later I had occasion to visit with Craig, a classmate in Virginia.  He invited several of our classmates over for a mini-reunion.  While we were together, I shared with them the concept of weekly prayer for our company mates.  Craig got excited and said he would join me and pray for B4. That was the encouragement I needed to get moving in sharing this prayer opportunity with others.  

God further reminded me that the Class of 1981 was not the only West Point class that needed prayer, so I began to recruit Christians from other year groups.  Then the Lord suggested that West Point was not the only school with regiments and a setup to allow for prayer coverage.  Soon Christians from the Naval and Air Force Academies joined the effort. Later graduates and cadets from nine more schools (Citadel, Coast Guard Academy, VMI, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Norwich, Valley Forge Military Academy, Wentworth, and Marion) joined the effort.  Currently, over 200 companies receive weekly prayer coverage.  All 36 companies for 1981 are represented each week in prayer and we have graduates from 1952 to 2015 all participating in this ministry known as The Long Eternal Line.  
 
Meditation
1 Timothy 2:3—This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
 
My dream is to stand in heaven with the 28 other men I went to school with (to include those who did not graduate).  The confidence I have to trust God for this to come true is Paul’s statement above to Timothy.  I will pray until God brings me home for this simple prayer to be answered. Soon, Long Eternal Line will spread into other nations with military academies.  If God wants to save people, why not pray for those who are leaders, people of influence to come to know Him!  
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Prayer is not easy.  I often get discouraged that little seems to be happening and it is hard to find people willing to pray.  I get frustrated at my own weakness in communicating with the Lord. There are so many other things people would rather do than intercede.  But if God chose to work with and through us, shouldn’t we be eager and motivated to pray for our friends, classmates, coworkers, family, neighbors and even our enemies?  How could we want anyone to suffer eternal separation from God?  Let’s commit to pray for those the Holy Spirit impresses upon our hearts.  And if you are a graduate of one of the schools I’ve mentioned or know grads from these schools, please contact me so we can grow the Long Eternal Line!
 
Inspiration
God never gave us the wonderful privilege of prayer as a make-shift to cover up our laziness and neglect of duty.  But, if we are willing that God should use us in answering our own prayers, willing to do anything that God may guide us to do to secure the salvation of those for whom we are praying, willing to do anything in our power to bring about the salvation of those for whom we pray, then we can accomplish far more for their salvation by praying for them than in any other way.—R.A. Torrey in The Power of Prayer  
 
 
©2012 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box. Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)