"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."1 

President Abraham Lincoln, in a National Proclamation of Prayer and Repentance in 1863 wrote, "We have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." (The Presidential Prayer Team Website) 

He also wrote, "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and all that is about me, seemed insufficient... One stormy night I tossed on my bed, unable to sleep as I thought of the terrible sufferings of our soldiers... I spent an hour in agonizing prayer." (The Presidential Prayer Team Website) 

Tomorrow is "Memorial Day," a national holiday set aside to honor American Servicemen and women who gave their lives in our country's defense. They allowed themselves to be in harm's way. 

The losses in World War 1 numbered 116,500 brave sons, in World War ll a total of 405,400, and the number of boys lost in our bloodiest war, the Civil War, far exceeded that. 

The most moving story about the observance of remembering those who gave their lives in war is about a woman in the south who was putting some flowers on the grave of a soldier from the North. This young soldier lost his life in the Civil War. When the other southern ladies saw her putting flowers on a Union Soldier's grave they got after her. She politely told them, some mother from the north grieves this very day for the loss of her son, just as we grieve the loss of our sons.2 

Everyone should let "Memorial Day" be a time of uniting in remembrance of those who gave their lives. It is a day where we can put love into action by comforting those who grieve the loss of a family member and especially let it be a time to remember the brave men and women who are in harm's way right now. Let us shield our soldiers with prayer as they risk their lives for ours. Let us also have a thankful heart as we remember the ultimate example of love and service when Jesus laid His life down for ours so that we could be free from sin and have life eternal with Him. 

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for the forgiveness and eternal life I have because of Jesus' great sacrifice. Thank you, also, for the men and women who have valiantly stood in harm's way so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have in this country. I lift them up in prayer, as well as all the families remembering their loved ones today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.