Memorial Day is designated as a day when all Americans are called upon to remember the great sacrifices of those before us who have fought and suffered and often died to form our nation and preserve our freedom. Without them we would not be here today, so it is fitting to remember them and their sacrifices.
Lord Jesus give our soldiers the courage to serve our country with honor and dignity. Be with them in danger; strengthen them where they face hardships.
Above all Lord, grant that when their service is finished they may return to us, sound in mind, body, and soul. Amen.
In On the Wings of the Wind, James tells about a conversation he had with a World War 2 chaplain. This chaplain taught Psalm 91 to all the men in his unit, and that unit had the distinction of not losing a single soldier in battle.
Psalm 91 (NIV)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
