VietNam War Memorial_2008

Each year Americans remember the many who gave their lives for our country. This year, much like those before, we know several that road motor cycles to Washington "Rolling Thunder - Run to the Wall."

But whether you remember our fallen on a motor cycle or that time to pray for those lost and those still serving our country today, I would like to consider the concept of a "Memorial."

Throughout Scripture, God speaks volumes about remembering, thus placing a memorial for future generations. Different, but the same, the memorial concept is a remembrance of the past to help all of us make decisions in the future.

A spiritual memorial is simply any object, picture, or memory that can direct one's spirit towards the realization that God is good and faithful... When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land in Joshua 4, Joshua called each of the tribes to gather a stone from the river and, using these 12 stones, they built a memorial to the faithfulness of God. Joshua declared, "…When your children ask in time to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the Israelites a memorial forever.'" (Joshua 4: 6-7) The first thing Joshua did when he entered the Promised Land was build a spiritual memorial to the faithfulness of God. He understood the transformative power of spiritual memorials. He understood that what some people might see as just a pile of rocks, others could be taught to see as a powerful testimony to God.

Another example of the transformative power of spiritual memorials comes out of the life of David in 1 Samuel 17. The young shepherd boy is thrust into a battle against a tremendous obstacle, the giant Goliath. As David considered the possibility of facing this giant in battle, he looked for hope in spiritual memorials of God's faithfulness to him in the past. When everyone around him, defeated and demoralized, trembled in fear of the giant, David chose to place his trust in God. David recalled occasions when God helped him defeat a lion and a bear while guarding his father's sheep.

These memories of God's faithfulness in the past provided David with the hope that God would be faithful in delivering him from the giant that he faced in this situation. So, armed with these spiritual memorials and a simple sling, David stepped into the valley and defeated the giant. David's act of faith infused hope and courage into the army of Israel. Suddenly, these men who'd been cowering in fear charged bravely across the battlefield to conquer the Philistines. Spiritual memorials not only serve as personal reminders to God's faithfulness, but at times they even bolster or ignite the faith of entire communities.

Spiritual memorials are all around us, but sometimes we just need to get people to see them with new eyes—to have a new experience with them.

National Day of Prayer

"The future continually demands reorganizing of our thinking. Strategic thinking can be summed up quite simply: What seems to be happening? What possibilities do we face? And what are we going to do about it? It is about maintaining an acute sensitivity to changing conditions, a willingness to think in a variety of ways, and avoidance to traps formed by what we already know and an ability to decide."

Change comes when we pray for change. The future is always demanding reorganization, but God remains unchanged. "If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Change must begin with our relationship vertically if we want our horizontal relationships to be effected.

Benjamin Franklin spoke: In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings? In the beginning of the contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in this room for the divine protection.- Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the Clergy of this City be requested to officiate in that Service.

We all need to pray for our nation; simply working things out through Strategic Thinking will only lead to addition needs. God wants to correct each situation, but we need to allow Him to do so...NOW MORE THEN EVER BEFORE!