From Voting to Veterans: Thanking Those Who Fight for Our Freedom
Psalm 18:1-6, "I love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears…”
:13-18, “The LORD also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, and lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them. Then the channels of water appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my stay.” NAS
Greetings Neighbors,
The election may be over but our need for prayer, care and sharing the gospel continues, as a world full of people look to new policies, promises and people to bring positive change to America. We as Christ-followers continue to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and to share the love and message of Jesus to bring about real hope and change to a hurting world hunting for help. We must commit to praying for the politicians who are working out their final days in office and for those who are preparing to begin their time of service to their city, state and nation. I want to suggest that you send the newly elected people an email letting them know that you are praying for them and begin to build a relationship with them for continued times of prayer, support and service. Let them know that they can count on you in prayer, care, share opportunities within your community or ministry reach. They need to know that they can count on you to show up with support and prayer for them when there are controversial votes, meetings, or when protestors are present. They need to know that they can count on your voice and values as much as we expect them to stand up for ours. They need to know that we will serve in places and projects of need and work with them to make our communities and county a place where the love and message of Jesus is lived out every day.
Voting is just one of many rights afforded to us by those who founded our nation and those who continue to fight for freedom every day. Our United States Military and Border Patrol put their lives on the line every day so that we can wake, work, and walk through our day with freedom and peace. The members of our military and their families make enormous sacrifices, too many to count, so that freedom can reign across America and around the world. Do you have a military family in your neighborhood? Do you live near a military base, fort or camp? Do you have military members/families who attend your church? If you have military members/families near you I beg you to get to know them and find out how you could serve them as they serve our country. Get to know them; does the spouse work, do they have children, is the military member deployed? How can you help them? Does their lawn need raking, their driveway need shoveling in the winter, do they need help with the children once in a while, a friend to talk to or go have coffee with, someone who will climb the ladder when the batteries need changing in their smoke detectors? Let them know that you are praying for their whole family and invite them to your church services and activities. It is difficult for a military spouse to get a family ready for church on Sunday and then sit by themselves through a service filled with couples worshipping together. Be there for them; give them the prayer, give them care they need and as always be prepared to share the message of salvation through Jesus with those who do not know Him as Lord and Savior. Give them the greatest gift of abundant life and eternal hope throughout their days as they defend lives and freedom around the world. Don’t be afraid that you will say the wrong thing; we need to support our military and their families with our friendship and love. Knowing that their family is being cared for helps those who are serving far from home to focus on their mission and to perform their duties with renewed concentration and motivation. We thank God for our Veterans and we want to express our deep appreciation to them this weekend and always. I want to say a special thank you to my husband, dad, brother-in-law and father-in-law for their many years of military service.
There are many ministries including the American Bible Society, The National Day of Prayer, CRU and others who send Bibles and minister to military members and families. For more information please visit www.militarymissionsnetwork.com
I challenge you to commit to supporting those who protect us through consistent prayer, care and sharing the Word and love of Jesus so that every military member and family experiences the love and message of Jesus by the end of the year 2020.
Love is a verb…let’s get moving!
Kathy B.
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