Greetings Prayer Warriors,
She’s at it again. As
the wife of a WWII veteran, my mom is a fierce supporter of veterans, honoring
and fundraising for them by selling silk poppies. She always acts surprised when people don’t
understand the significance of the poppy and Memorial Day. Its reference is “In Flanders Fields”, by
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a war memorial poem that begins:
In Flanders fields the
poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
Most of the past several generations know little of the
impact of war on the lives of families and on marriages. They haven’t had to sacrifice, ration, or do
without in the same way. Few by
comparison, have lost relatives or family members in the military. My mother, as part of the “Greatest
Generation” knows of sacrifice all too well.
No one has greater love than this, to lay down
one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
So today we, like my mother, will keep the memory of lost
veterans alive. We will pray for the marriages of those who have served or
currently serve in the armed forces. We
pray for marriages that are impacted their spouse’s PTSD. We pray for those struggling
with the loneliness and hardship of being separated from their spouse and/or
family for long periods of time. We pray
for the widows whose marriages ended abruptly. We pray that the difficulty of post-service
reconnection is bridged through the power of the Holy Spirit. We pray for the
healing of wounded hearts. We pray for
those who have given their lives, the ultimate sacrifice of love. May Jesus crown them for their valor and
love.
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
There is no such thing as a holiday from prayer. Pass it on!
