A Grateful Nation

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 NIV

This Wednesday, the United States pays tribute to all American veterans, living or dead, with a particular focus on living veterans who served the country honorably in war or peacetime. Veterans Day is observed every November 11 to commemorate the World War I armistice that began on November 11, 1918. President Dwight Eisenhower signed legislation on June 1, 1954, making Veterans Day an official federal holiday to honor American veterans of all wars.

Veterans Day traces its origin back to the end of World War I, when the armistice between the Allied nations and Germany took effect at the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. November 11, 1918, marks the official end of “the war to end all wars.”

Unfortunately, World War I was not “the war to end all wars.” Over the decades that followed, the United States fought in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and other conflicts. Wars and rumors of wars are not new. History records pages of wars between nations, peoples, and alliances. Wars are waged to stop evil governments, greed, or nationalist priorities. Some are waged for righteous reasons; others for selfish gain.

The one common element in all wars is the men and women who are called upon to fight. These men and women put aside their own needs to serve their nation. Soldiers were not asked for their thoughts about going to war and had no authority to start or end wars, but once called upon, they left farms, businesses, schools, and families to fight for their nation. Patriotism called them to war. General Douglas MacArthur said of these men and women, “The Soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”

This Veterans Day reminds us of the price those who served paid, many with their lives, all with the sacrifice of their time and dreams. “The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission.” (John F. Kennedy). Going to war is never easy, and it should not be an easy option. The lives of those who fight in the trenches should prompt leaders to plan, pray, and prepare. Scripture warns leaders to seek counsel and listen well to one another. “Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.” (Proverbs 20:18 ESV) and “For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.” (Proverbs 24:6 ESV)

Rehoboam succeeded his father, Solomon, as king. Solomon understood the role he was assuming, and asked God for wisdom to govern. His son, Rehoboam, failed to follow his father’s example. When confronted with how he would govern the nation, he sought the counsel of the elders but rejected it when they told him, “If you will be kind to these people and please them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.” (2 Chron 10:7 NIV).

Rehoboam recklessly disregarded their advice because it didn’t align with what he wanted to hear. Instead, he chose the counsel of “the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.” Rehoboam wanted war, and he listened to unwise counsel. His friends knew what he wanted to hear. “My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.” (2 Chron 10:11).

King Rehoboam’s ego and pride kept him from listening to the counsel of those who saw the bigger picture. His inflated self-image led him to heed those who fed it, resulting in a divided nation and ultimately civil war. “Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.” (Thomas Merton).

This Veterans Day is a time of remembrance, and we must never fail to seek God’s ultimate counsel. “And he said, ‘Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15 ESV.

President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the nation on June 6, 1944, before the Normandy invasion, or D-Day. His speech, in the form of a prayer, was for the upcoming battle, which was pivotal in ending the war. He understood that “the battle is not yours but God’s.” He offered this prayer as the Allied forces began their invasion.

“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…

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 goodwill among all thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home….

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…

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. 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 scheming 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 (portions of prayer from fdrlibrary.org)

Thank you, Veterans, for your service to the nation. We are grateful for your sacrifice.

God is great!