Major Carl Carville, pastor of a Salvation Army church in Nashua, N.H., is also the Protestant chaplain for the New Hampshire Fire-Rescue squad. He wrote this psalm last December after several firefighters, active and retired, died during a short span of time. "The Lord put this on my heart in an effort to reach out to the firefighters in their own language," Carville says.
The Lord is my great Incident Commander;
I am taken care of adequately.
He makes sure I've got all the necessary gear,
He provides the training I need,
He gives me confidence in my skills,
He keeps me accountable so that I'm always ready.
Even if I'm the first one inside attacking
a fully-involved scene,
I'm OK with it because You have my back.
You control the ladder, you help with the line.
You know when I've seen too much on the job
Or a floor starts to buckle underneath
me during a fourth alarm,
You are the unseen force in this healing brotherhood;
You know my motivation for being on the job.
You understand, You remember, You are there with me.
And when I answer the final call,
You'll have a place for me forever.
Clip this prayer and give it to a firefighter in your town!
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