Memorial Day Prayers

The back yard bar-be-cue fun of Memorial Day was changed for me in 2003.  That's the year our oldest son, AB, enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.  I suddenly realized, on a very personal level, that not only have countless men and women made the ultimate sacrifice in serving our nation, but so had their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, wives, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and close friends.

Our family, and our oldest son, AB, were and are abundantly blessed.  AB served our nation within the safety of U.S. borders.  However, today, one of our other sons, JP, a U.S. Sailor, is currently deployed outside the comfort and safe boundaries of the United States that we Americans take for granted every day.

For me, personally, not only has Memorial Day become a day of somber remembrance and appreciation, but it has also become a day of prayer.  I pray for the peace and comfort of the families our service men and women have left behind to mourn their sacrifice.  I pray that our Lord, Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace), will bring peace to their aching hearts.  I pray that our Lord, Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals), will heal the wounds inflicted by this loss.  I pray that our Lord, Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide), will provide for the spiritual and physical needs of these families.  I pray our Lord, Jehovah Nissi, (The Lord My Banner), will remind these families that they did not give the ultimate sacrifice in vain.

To the families of those who have sacrificed all while serving us, I not only thank you, I also mourn with you.  To the men, women and their family members who are currently serving, I pray for the safe return of you and your loved ones.