Memorial Day Prayer
This Memorial Day Prayer can be used on Memorial Day to remember, honor and thank God for those who have died in wars protecting and defending their country. It is also a good time to pray for the end of wars and for the coming of God’s Kingdom of peace for all nations.
Memorial Day Prayer
Dear God our Father,
Today we give thanks to you for those who have sacrificed their lives for their country. We remember them today and thank you for the freedom and prosperity that they fought to achieve. Those of us who have not had to give as they have given are humbled by their service to our country and our world. May they rest in your heavenly peace knowing that they are remembered today as true blessings from You to all generations.
Some of these brave souls are known to us by name. They are our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who answered the call of duty and preformed it with every ounce of final strength and determination.
Many are unknown to us, a great cloud of witnesses who have seen battle, engaged in the good fight and who have finished their course with honor and bravery, passing on into your eternal kingdom without us knowing their names or glimpsing their faces.
We know that each of them is precious in your sight. For you say, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116 :15 NIV) Jesus says of Himself, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:13,14 NIV)
You tell us in your word the day will come when wars shall cease. You say, “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4 NIV) We along with them long for those days when you will reign supremely among all nations. We pray for the day when “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters over the sea .” (Isaiah 11:9 NIV)
May we, the living, so live as to honor our fallen heroes and carry on the sacred trust of life that they obtained for us at so great a cost to themselves. On Memorial Day and always may we appreciate the ones who have given their lives so that we may live.
We pray for our fallen soldiers as we pray for ourselves that we might all be reunited in your glorious Kingdom. And we pray for the day when your will is done on earth as it is heaven.
In your strong and eternal name we pray, amen.
About this Memorial Day Prayer
Many countries around the world set aside special days to honor members of the military who have died in battle.
The Memorial Day observance in the US dates back to 1866 when residents of Waterloo, New York set aside a day to put flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. Parallel celebrations were observed around the country on what was called Decoration Day.
During World War 1 the day began to be celebrated to honor military personnel killed in all wars. In 1968 the national holiday was set as the last Monday of May.
Memorial Day in the US is also often celebrated as the beginning of summer and people traditionally hold picnics and cook outs.
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Copyright Karen Barber 2018. All rights reserved.
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