PLUS

I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”

Romans 12:12 “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer”

By the evening of June 6^th, 1944 the invasion of mainland Europe had seen an amazing first day of activity.  By the end of that day, over 150,000 Allied troops had landed on French soil, transported by thousands of aircraft and ships in a massive surprise military operation.  President Roosevelt spoke to the nation that evening, and shared the following:

 

“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas — whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them–help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment – let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace – a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.”

 

President Roosevelt was wise to lead the nation in prayer to Almighty God.  After all, they needed heavenly power to sustain them through the brutal conditions upon which the history of the world hinged.  Freedom against tyranny hung in the balance.

It wasn’t to be a one-time prayer or a one-day prayer, but prayer without ceasing.  It was to be said that the nation’s “thoughts and prayers are ever with them.”  The American people were to “devote themselves in a continuance of prayer.” Americans were to “rededicate [themselves] in renewed faith in Thee.”  As we reflect upon that desperate hour 75 years ago, we must do the same today.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A CONSTANT SPIRIT OF PRAYER IN THIS LAND.  Let words of prayer for this nation be constantly on our lips.

Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

Psalm 118:6 “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear:  what can man do unto me?”

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”

As we approach the 75^thanniversary of D-Day, it is appropriate to spend several weeks lingering upon the spiritual linkages of this pivotal moment in world history.  It was a situation so dire and in need of God’s blessing that General Eisenhower stated after making the decision to invade that “there was nothing we could do but pray, desperately.”  (See https://prayatlunch.us/pray-desperately/)

In the days and the weeks leading up to the invasion, American military chaplains were busy tending to their anxious and restless flocks.  One of these was Chaplain George Barber, who was well known for preaching to thousands of men in the lead-up to the invasion of mainland Europe, and for liberally passing out copies of God’s Word.  He loved to emphasize that “God is in control.”  In the midst of this vital ministry, Chaplain Barber stated:

“We’re on His side and we’re going to win. Jesus gave his life for us and we may have to give our lives for Him and for our country. He knows all about it and He’s with us here.”

His words ring true today. God is in control.  Jesus gave His life for us.  We must be on His side and must surrender our lives to Him.  He knows about what we are going through, and He is with us.  Even when things look dire, God stands ready to bless in ways we can’t even imagine.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A SERVANT’S SURRENDERED ATTITUDE THAT LIVES KNOWING GOD IS IN CONTROL.  Whatever we are going through, “He knows all about is and He’s with us here.”

 

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

In Southern California this year, we experienced a fairly rare phenomenon called a super bloom.  Because of the excessive rain during the wintertime, beautiful poppies covered the fields, the hills, and even the desert floor.  It was a magnificent sight.

A little over a hundred years ago, Western Europe experienced its own super bloom.  In the middle of the brutal conditions of World War I, beautiful poppies covered the battlefields and even the hastily dug graves of fallen soldiers.

Seeing this super bloom, a Canadian doctor named Lt Col John McCrae wrote the following after presiding over the funeral of a friend:

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.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders Field

In these few short stanzas, the dead provide a simple reminder to the living.  Live up to their legacy.  Catch the torch they have passed on and hold it high.

This Memorial Day weekend, may we honor those who have passed on before us.  May we do so not just on this holiday weekend, but throughout the year.  We must do so in remembrance of our military heroes.  Yet, let us also do so for our Christian heroes.  All the while, may we remember that our best tribute to them is to catch the torch they have passed on to us and hold it high.

PLEASE HONOR THE MEMORY OF OUR BRAVE FOREFATHERS AND PRAY FOR OUR ABILITY TO LIVE UP TO THEIR LEGACY. May we hold high the torch that they have passed on to us … though poppies grow.

Admin Note:  This is the 500th PLUS post.

Hosea 4:6-7 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:  because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:  seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.”

Psalm 81:11-13 “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ lust:  and they walked in their own counsels.  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!”

Harry R. Truman (not President Harry S. Truman) lived at the base of Mount St Helens, and was the owner of a lodge that bore the name of that famous mountain.  In the lead-up to the massive eruption on May 18^th, 1980, residents all around the rumbling volcano were evacuated to prepare for the impending and looming danger.  Truman refused to heed these ominous warnings.  In fact, he scoffed at the earnest officials who demanded that he leave, saying such things as:

• “You couldn’t pull me out with a mule team. That mountain’s part of Truman and Truman’s part of that mountain.”
• “If the mountain goes, I’m going with it.”
• “The mountain ain’t gonna hurt me.”

At 8:32:17 am on Sunday May 18^th, Mount St Helens erupted with a force so violent that it created the largest-ever landslide and sent a cloud of ash 80,000 feet into the air. In a moment, Truman was covered with 150 feet of volcanic debris.  He rejected the warnings of the experts and perished immediately.  He was prophetic in his arrogance as he walked in his own counsels – Truman is indeed a part of that mountain forever.

As individuals, as society, and as a nation, we must never scoff at those who earnestly warn us of the impending and looming danger.  We must never refuse to heed the ominous warnings.  Instead, we must embrace His knowledge and hearken unto to His voice. We must never allow our glory to be changed into shame.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERCIAN CHRISTIANS TO HEED THE WARNINGS OF OUR LOVING GOD.  God yearns for us to hearken unto him and walk in His ways. Don’t make God pull us out of our disobedience with a mule team.

Hebrews 11:33-35 “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the allies.”

Hebrews 12:1 “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

On May 12, 1962 General Douglas MacArthur spoke for the last time at his alma matter of West Point. It is known as his Farewell Speech, and has profoundly shaped and captured the culture of that institution and of the United States Army ever sense.  As a part of that speech, MacArthur reminded those young cadets of the following:

“You are the leaven which binds together the entire fabric of our national system of defense.  From your ranks come the great captains who hold the Nation’s destiny in their hands the moment the war tocsin sounds.  The long gray line has never failed us.  Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words:  Duty, Honor, Country.”

Indeed, the American solider carries with them the distinct honor of following in the footsteps of giants. This lineage comes with a large dose of inspiration and responsibility.  If they ever would stumble, a great cloud of witnesses that he calls the long grey line would cry out in a unified chorus to pull them from the precipice of failure.  The line must never be broken.

Similarly, the Christian carries with us the distinct honor of following in the footsteps of giants. This lineage comes with a large dose of inspiration and responsibility.  If we ever would stumble, a great cloud of witnesses would cry out in a unified chorus to pull us from the precipice of failure.  The line must never be broken.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO BE INSPIRED BY OUR FAITH-FILLED LEGACY AND LIVE UP TO ITS WEIGHTY RESPONSIBILITY.  May we never fail as a part of our own long grey line.