1. Groundbreaking Prayer
2. EMS Prayer
3. A Prayer For The Nation
4. Firefighter’s Psalm
5. Bring Us Together
6. A Fireman’s Prayer
7. Jewish Prayer for ill person
8. The Lord is Like a Firefighter
9. Dedication Prayer for an Ambulance
10. I Wish You Knew
11. Chaplain’s Emergency Service Bag


The Lord is Like a Firefighter.
Rev. Dr. Cynthia Huling Hummel
Chaplain of the Lyons Fire Department

Psalm 23 says that the Lord is like a shepherd. Me? I’d say that the Lord is more like a firefighter. A firefighter puts his/her life on the line each and every day! Firefighters risk their safety, their health and even their lives to help others. When the fire whistle sounds, the firefighter goes. He goes in snowstorms and on brutally hot days, braving the elements to do what he is called to do. When everyone is rushing out of a building—a firefighter must often go in, to rescue someone who is trapped, someone who is injured, or someone who is too frightened to leave. Think about it, firefighters crawl through flames, heat and smoke in search of people they don’t even know. I can’t think of a better example of God’s sacrificial love.

Sometimes the smoke is so thick that the firefighter can’t see his own hand in front of his mask. It is easy to become disoriented. The firefighter must always be on guard for structural problems: Is the roof about to collapse? Is the floor dangerously weakened? What about chemicals and combustibles? How much air is left in his tank? Where are his fellow firefighters? There is so much for firefighters to know and to remember. They are under enormous pressure and stress as they make life and death decisions.

Firefighters arrive on the scene and must quickly evaluate what is going on. If there are people to be rescued, time is of the essence. The chief will try and get information from those on the scene as to where victims might be and other important and relevant data. The chief must decide whom to send in and who will provide backup. Rescue takes wisdom, courage and strength. Imagine the stamina needed to rescue a 180-pound man who is unconscious. Firefighting is hard work and it is “heart” work. Firefighters must deal with matters of the heart: seeing families in agony, dealing with injuries and even death. Imagine the trauma of having to carry out a toddler with severe burns- especially if you’ve left your own toddler at home. Our firefighters need our prayers and our thanks. Courageous. Compassionate. Brave. Dedicated. These are just a few words that describe the men and women who are our firefighters.

Firefighting is not just a job; it’s a calling! Firefighters feel “called” to do what they do and they are on call 24-7-365! Even when they are off-duty, most of the firefighters I know, go when they hear the whistle. They “have” to. And our firefighters are not just called to house fires, they respond to sorts of rescue situations: motor vehicle accidents, swimming and boating accidents in the canal, chemical leaks, gas leaks just to name a few. In order to prepare for these situations, firefighters undergo hours of intense training. Firefighting is a science and a passion. Firefighters do what they do because they love their work.

As a pastor, I am always looking for ways to help folks understand God’s enormous love for us. How can I explain how God longs to rescue us from our pain and our problems; how God is with us in times of sorrow and suffering; how God walks with us “even in the valley of the shadow of death”? The psalmist pictured God as a shepherd watching over his sheep. We have seen pictures of a shepherd carrying an injured lamb. I offer another image; that of a firefighter cradling a small child and carrying that child to safety. For some, the Lord is like a shepherd. For me, the Lord is like a firefighter.



Every Chaplain has a different way of praying, conducting a service or even preparing for a sermon. This page is dedicated to those Chaplains who wish to share their “secret to serving God” with other Chaplains. Please send us your favorite prayer, hymn, poem or story.

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