<That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory - must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!

"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle - be Thou near them! With them, in spirit, we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe.

"O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells;

Help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead;

Help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain;

Help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire;

Help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief;
Help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -
"For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet!

"We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."

After a pause: "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits!"

The Church was stony silent. The sound of a pin dropping would've sounded like a thundering cannon.

Suddenly, a young child sat up and walked up to the white haired stranger and who could be no older than eight or nine.

"Sir. What you say is true and may speak for the prayers of many who dwell here and pray this day for victory, perhaps even our minister prayed thusly, however my small prayer must have eluded the messenger of the Most High."

The messenger looked down upon this angel faced youth and asked, "And what did you pray for, young one?"

The young child turned to the congregation and spoke with an eloquence most uncommon, startling even his own bewildered parents:

"I prayed that the leader of these peoples across the seas, who has tortured, hung and raped his own people and whose violent actions and warlike ways, have brought this war upon us -may see the light and evil of his actions against mankind, and order his minions to drop their swords and weapons,

that the Heavenly Father may see to it that the insanity and hatred which grips his mind does not infect our troops as they confront this diseased individual,

that He who is Love and the source of Love can see our troops have enough to feed any widows of this awful task as well as to feed the children already starved by the madman who has enslaved them,

that our troops can see fit to remain free of hate of the enemy, and see properly into the hearts of those whom they confront and focus and seek out the source of the darkness which has swallowed that portion of the world and battle the darkness with light and truth,

that compassion and truth accompany my brothers and that they be not forgotten or disdained by their sisters and comrades when they return home dissheveled, bloody and tired,

that the leader of our great nation and the mighty generals which lead my brothers can do so in a manner which reduces suffering as they pursue this most difficult of tasks and to free the hordes of their oppression,

that those who fall this day are received by he who is love and the source of love and shown a mirror of their soul and that they may begin to cleanse the hate within their hearts, so that when they return they can live in peace and harmony with their brothers and sisters,

Amen.

This is my small prayer o' messenger of the Most High."

The messenger lifted his head and a small tear could be seen running down his cheek.

He marched out of the church his robe trailing behind him and he spoke...

"You all are indeed fortunate, that only one prayer of the many prayers shall this day be delivered to the Most High."

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SDAI-Tech1
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Twain's an old friend of mine...he delivered the second half (up there) once in a class I was fortunate enough to attend - to be used for occasions just like this one. ;-)