Memorial Day is a holiday in May that is dedicated to honoring all those who died while serving in the United States armed forces. Over 1.3 million American soldiers sacrificed their own lives so that we can have the freedom to live our lives without being threatened. The freedom that we enjoy is not to be taken lightly, countless lives were lost so that we can enjoy our freedoms in this country.

2 Timothy 2:4 says “No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him”. This verse talks about the amount of sacrifice that the soldiers have to make when they chose to willingly serve as a soldier. We have all heard stories of soldiers who have not seen their family and loved ones for months, sometimes even years when they get called into battle. Many times these soldiers never even get to return to their loved ones as they lose their lives on the battlefield.

Imagine putting yourselves in the shoes of these brave soldiers out on the battlefield. They have been trained for battle and they are tough but they still have to battle their fear of dying and their emotions so they can get their job done. Psalm 27:3 perhaps captures best the thoughts of a soldier on the battlefield. “Though an army encamps against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.”

The Old Testament is filled with stories of brave soldiers fighting for the Lord’s army. Soldiers like Joshua, David, and Gideon were all known for their bravery on the battlefield because they trusted in God.  Soldiers have always been necessary in this world because of the nature of this world.

If you think of it all Christians are like soldiers except we do not battle against flesh and blood.  Ephesians 6:12 says “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We are all called to be soldiers as Christians and we are to be armed with the word of God and prayer as our weapons against this world.

On Memorial Day please remember the sacrifice of all the brave soldiers who gave up their lives to defend the freedom of this country. Pray for their lives and also for their families. Remember also your own role as a soldier in the Lord’s army.  Just like a soldier’s life is never easy and they could be called into battle at any time, so is the life of a Christian, we should always be ready for battle at any time and we can only do so by putting our trust in God.