Veteran's Day Note and Prayer

It is Nov 11, 2009, a day that we have set aside to celebrate and thank our military families for their service and sacrifice. A day typically accentuated with discounts for military members, parades, cemetery visits and such. Being a veteran myself, I love to see the different ways in which our nation honors its own. Today though, I pray that we all set aside a minute or two to especially pray for those families who have lost loved ones and for those who served closely with those loved ones. Recently, I spoke with three of my friends who both had to endure the loss of their fellow soldiers whom they served very closely with. The emotions that can come with losing not one, not two but several comrades at the same time can be quite tough to deal with. The lasting effects of this kind of emotion can be unhealthy. Additionally, as we write letters and cards to the service men and women overseas, let us not forget about the ones that we have here at home that are spending time at the various Veteran hospitals for injuries sustained in war and those not in our hospitals, but who have sustained emotional injury. As military men and women, we all know that when we sign the dotted lines, we are signing up for war. We know it and we agree to it. Some of us may not experience it and some may. The bottom line is that we all have a choice as to whether we would like to join the military family, knowing that we may possibly go to war. So, instead of arguing about whether military members need to be in a war, let us unite on this Veteran’s Day and pray:

“Dear Heavenly Father, our troops have been sent into war, as peacekeepers and conquers. We petition You, Lord, according to Psalm 91, for the safety of our military personnel. We ask You Lord to comfort them in the midst of this turmoil and to show them that they are not forgotten by America or by You, Lord. This is no small task that our armed forces will walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels. We look beyond human instruments of conflict and rebuke, in Jesus Name, all the forces and authorities and rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual realm (Colossians 2:15). As children of the Most High God we enforce the triumphant victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We know Lord that all power and authority both in heaven and earth belong to You. We petition heaven to turn our troops into a real peacekeeping force by pouring out the glory of God through our men and women in that part of the world. Let them take everything the Master has set out for them, well-made weapons of the best materials. (Ephesians 6:12) Use them as instruments of righteousness to defeat the plans of the devil. Lord, we plead the power of the blood of Jesus, asking You to manifest Your power and glory. We entreat You on behalf of the citizens in these countries on both sides of the conflict. They all have experienced pain and heartache; they are victims of the devil’s strategies to steal, kill and destroy John 10:10). We pray that they will come to know Jesus Who came to give us life and life more abundantly. We stand in the gap for the people of the war-torn, devil-overrun land. We expect an overflowing of Your goodness and glory in the lives of those for whom we are praying (Ezekiel 22:30). May they call upon Your name and be saved. Heavenly Father, provide for and protect the families of our armed forces. Preserve marriages; cause the hearts of the parents to turn toward their children and the hearts of the children to turn toward the fathers and mothers (Malachi 4:6). We plead the blood of Jesus over our troops and their families. Provide a support system to under gird, uplift and edify those who have been left to raise children by themselves. Jesus has been made unto these parents wisdom, righteousness and sanctification. Through Your Holy Spirit, comfort the lonely and strengthen the weary. You Lord, make known Your salvation; Your righteousness You openly show in the sight of the nations. (Psalm 98:2, Luke 2:30-31). Heavenly Father, we are looking forward to that day when the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen” (prayer excerpt from www.christianword.org)

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