Honoring Our Veterans

By |Published On: November 11, 2020|Categories: Inspiration, Stories|

It’s Veterans Day: a day in which we honor the men and women who have faithfully served in the United States military — veterans like Rob Jones. In 2010, while in Afghanistan on his second Marine Corps tour of duty, Rob was tasked with clearing an area that contained buried IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). As a combat engineer, Rob and his team had been trained to detect these explosive devices and any secret stashes of enemy weapons. But that day, Rob’s foot landed directly on a land mine — leaving him a double amputee. While in the hospital, Rob’s goal became:

“Survive. Recover. Live.”

And with the help and support of his family, friends, medical care team, and church, Rob is not only living — he is thriving! With his bionic knees and prosthetics, Rob has bicycled across the U.S., runs marathons, and is an award-winning rower in the Paralympics!

But not every veteran returns home to such a supportive community. And sometimes, there are wounds that are not easily addressed—physical and emotional battle scars. You may not be a trained medic or counselor, yet you can still have a real part in bringing healing to veterans.

It starts with prayer.

In the Old Testament, many times God is referred to as the Lord of Hosts, or the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. If God sees to the wellbeing of his heavenly armies, we can know he cares for those who have seen the hardships of earthly armies. He wants to hear our prayers on their behalf!

If you wonder what you can pray, Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6 that our true battle is not against flesh and blood. So pray that our veterans will be able to put on every piece of God’s armor. You can also pray they will trust the promise of Joshua 1:9: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” 

That’s just a start! There are plenty of other verses that can guide your prayers for veterans not only today, but whenever you come in contact with men and women who have served our nation.

And if you happen to know a veteran personally, take a moment to pass along our thanks for their service to our country… and let them know we would be honored to pray for them by name in our morning prayer time!

Help Us Support Those Who Have Selflessly Served! 

Our Warrior Getaway is specifically designed for American Servicemen and women who have visible and invisible wounds as a result of war. These getaways are a place for respite and spiritual refreshment.

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