Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday which occurs every year on the final Monday of May. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces (Wikipedia)

What one of the tragedies to befall our nation is to forget those who served in the armed forces.

This is not a political statement or question of right and wrong about warfare. Rather it's a call to remember the many men and women who valiantly served, many of whom died doing so, and others who have returned home to find life very difficult - they struggle with their minds over things they had witnessed. Others have lost arms, legs and their health that will be a constant reminder of the battle they fought and survived, but haunts them nonetheless.

There was a generation growing up after the Israelites who first entered the Promise Land that did not understand or know how to fight.

The Scriptures says, "I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did. The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua. These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):" (NIV Judges 2:22 and 3:1-2).

For Christians actively in the armed forces and for those who are no longer in service, teach us! Teach us so we don't forget that our freedom comes at a high price. And teach us the ways of God that you learned while on the battlefield. How you prayed, how you served your fellow man, and how God brought you victoriously home - lest we forget, lest we fail to fight for the glory of God and souls of men - by bringing many into the kingdom.

Some of us many never see the front line or fully understand the horror you endured, but we can battle in prayer for you and for others - please, teach us so we don't forget.