Warriors Arise: May 29, 2023
Matthew 2:11 (NKJV) And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
This is getting a little too real. What does this mean? She would have known the history of Hannah taking Samuel to the High Priest and leaving him there. What are these wisemen doing here? She didn't ask, cry out for or go to a priest to have a baby like Hannah. An angel came to her, told her she was highly favored among women and would have the Christ Child. With the wisemen here, were they going to take Jesus? Were they going to take her son? Were they there to make Him king?
Matthew 1:20-21 (NKJV) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
When Joseph heard what had happened, what was his response. The angel spoke to him in a dream. The Son of God was growing in Mary and He would save His people from their sins. What does that mean?
Today, in America we honor the fallen, those men and women who have served in the military who are no longer with us. Our freedom is because someone sacrificed their life to give us freedom and to keep our freedom. It is right for us to honor those who have fallen in battle, for what we have today. Some families have a long history of fighting for our freedom. They know what sacrifice is all about. They know what is it to lay down your life for your family to be free. They know what it is like to face tyranny and death. They paid the ultimate sacrifice as did their families. The spouse who now is a single parent and the children who know have only one parent. The child has to grow up without their parent who had a love for them that they may never truly comprehend, a love to make sure their children would live free and have the freedom we live with in America. The remaining spouse and the children should be honored for the sacrifice they are having to live with. Their spouse was a sacrifice for our freedom. Their parent was a sacrifice for our freedom. Their loved one died for our freedom.
John 15:13 (NKJV) Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
I don't think anyone signs up to be in the military, without as least considering when they are deployed, they may not be back. We cannot deny that our service men and women die not only in battle, but in preparation for battle.
I am not sure how much Joseph and Mary understood the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah and what He would go through to save His people from their sin. He is a child, approximately two years old. They had never known a king to lay down His life for the people, to go through what Jesus was going to go through, for the freedom we now have opportunity to receive. Unless you are from a long line of military heritage in your family, you probably do not have a grid for the pain that could be ahead. Mary did not have a grid for Jesus and what He would go through. Our minds can't fathom the reality until the tragedy happens. When we hold our baby in our arms, we generally are not thinking we want them to be in the military.
Today, we honor the men and women who have fallen for our freedom here in America. I pray each received Jesus Christ as their Savior. I pray for Holy Spirit to minister to those who are feeling the pain of the sacrifice of their son or daughter, mother or father, and for the children who now have to live without their heroic parent. May God strengthen each one and encourage them each day.
Father, I am thankful for the freedom I have through the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the men and women who have fought for the freedom I enjoy here in America. I pray for honor to be given to the family members living without their mother or father and son or daughter. I pray Holy Spirit comfort, strengthen, and encourage them. I pray You would fill their pain with your love. I pray You would reach down and give them Your hand to help them stand tall, proud, and with honor for the sacrifice of their loved one. I pray You would guide them and make provision for them. I ask for Your hand of blessing to be upon them in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
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