Memorial Day, held the last Monday in May, is meant to be a time to honor the deceased who served our country. It was originally known as Decoration Day and was put in place in the years following the Civil War. In 1971 it became an official federal holiday. Parades, including marching bands and veterans’ organizations, take place in towns throughout the United States. The tradition of honoring those who have fallen in battle dates to the ancient Greeks and Romans when they decorated the graves of the soldiers with flowers—hence Decoration Day. One tradition is that the American flag be hung at half-staff until noon on Memorial Day, then raised to the top of the staff.
 
Looking back to the Civil war era, the outlook for the Union soldiers was dark. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the citizens of our nation to humble themselves before God and repent. In part, the proclamation said this: "...It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that those nations only are blessed when God is the Lord...It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."
 
Oh, that we would have a president who would lead us in this kind of prayer of humility and repentance today! Our country is in shambles, and the only light in the darkness comes from Bible-believing, compassionate, and God-fearing individuals. To save our country, we must be on our knees before our Holy God. Sadly, I think that Lincoln would have been run out of town today had he made the proclamation he did during the Civil War. He and the citizens of our country knew that America was formed as a land without religious persecution. The Preamble to our Constitution lays out other goals: "To form a more perfect union, to establish justice, to ensure domestic tranquility, to provide for common defense, to promote the general welfare, and to secure the blessings of liberty." While God is not mentioned in the Constitution, He is included in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Alliance, and in U.S. currency.
 
Eddie Hyatt's book, America's Revival Heritage, explains the Puritan's vision for a Christian Commonwealth. He writes, "They believed that God had created society as a unified whole to reflect His glory. Church and state, the individual and the public—These were all related spheres and all were to function under the Lordship of Christ..." Eddie explains that the statements the Puritans wrote "always gave recognition to God and prioritized the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the reason for their existence...Their vision was to become that 'shining light' and 'city on a hill' of which Jesus had spoken in Matthew 5:14. (Pages 13-15)
 
We have come a far way from the day of Abraham Lincoln when people honored their covenant with God and were not fearful of praying publicly. As Memorial Day is upon us, let us remember not only our fallen soldiers, but the reasons they gave their lives for our country. We have a covenant with God, and He gives us the solution to our dilemma of ungodly belief and behavior. "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 I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins, and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

​1 Samuel 1:15 tells us that Hannah was a woman who knew how to pour her soul out to the Lord. She was in deep anguish because she had no children with her husband Elkanah. Her husband was a Levite from the tribe of Ephraim, which means fruitful, fertile, and productive. As a God-fearing man, yearly Elkanah went to Shiloh to sacrifice to the Lord. We see that he loved Hannah dearly though she was not able to conceive. At their visit to Shiloh, he gave his other wife and their children portions of meat for the sacrifice to God, but Hannah received a double portion of meat because of Elkanah's love for her.
 
Elkanah's other wife, named Peninnah, provoked Hannah to irritate her. This seems fitting as Peninnah's name means pearl. Pearls are formed when sand irritates an oyster. It was while Hannah was at Shiloh that she made a vow to God. "Lord Almighty, if you will look on your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant, but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)
 
Isn't it interesting that when Hannah made her vow to the Lord, He needed a righteous priest at Shiloh? The current priests, Eli and his sons Hophni and Phinehas, did not honor the Lord and treated the offerings brought to them by the people of Israel with contempt. (1 Samuel 2:15-17) God heard the cry of Hannah's heart and opened her womb so that she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel saying, it is because “I asked the Lord for him." (1 Samuel 1:20)
 
When Samuel was weaned, Hannah made good on her promise. She took her son to Shiloh along with a sacrifice to the Lord. Not only did she do this, but she prayed a prayer from her heart that expressed her deep gratitude to God. It begins, "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high..." (1 Samuel 2:1) Hannah's mother named her appropriately. Her name means "favor" or "grace." After declaring her prayer of gratitude, Elkanah and Hannah went home and left Samuel to "minister before the Lord under Eli the priest." (1 Samuel 2:11)
 
What is so astounding about this mother is her faith in the Lord. We can only imagine how difficult it was for Hannah to leave the care and nurture of her young son to a priest that she hardly knew. But she was one who trusted in the Lord, because she had already seen His faithfulness. This being Mother's Day, I am reminded how many mothers must give their children over to the Lord through prayer, trusting Him to care for them during a time in their lives when it seems they have gone "off the rails." Scriptures that declare the trustworthiness of the Lord are sprinkled throughout the Bible. Psalm 9:10 is one. "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 13:5 is another one. "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."
 
What any praying mother must remember is that the Lord loves her children more than she does. He watches out for them and orchestrates circumstances to draw them unto Himself. This is the first Mother's Day that I have been without a mom. However, I am thanking God for her faithfulness in bringing me and my siblings before Him. Our paths were definitely forged by the prayers of our mom. I will be forever grateful for her steadfast trust in the Lord.

​God allows tests in our lives to prove our faith. Brian Simmons and his team of translators explain in a Genesis 22 footnote in The Passion Translation that "...The word 'tested' is derived etymologically from a word that means 'elevated banner' like a flag flying high above ship or a victory banner elevated over an army." The test that Abraham took made him great—so much so that he is called our Father of Faith. (Romans 4:11, 12) Abraham’s son, Isaac, was included in this test of faith. How so? Let's look at the story of God testing the faith of Abraham in Genesis 22. (I will be quoting from The Passion Translation.)
 
"God said, 'Please take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom I know you dearly love, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him up to me as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you.’" (Verse 2) Do not miss the significance of a burnt offering! It was a complete one in that everything was consumed by the fire. Only ashes remained after the burning. You could call this a sacrifice of total commitment. Also, it is interesting to note that Moriah means "chosen by Yahweh." Moriah comes from the root word meaning "sight" or "vision." This location is inside the present-day walls of Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount, where God would have Solomon build the Temple.
 
Abraham and Isaac's journey to Mt. Moriah took three days. When the Mount was in view, Abraham told his servants to remain so that he and Isaac could go and "worship." Worship involves sacrifice. The wood for the offering was placed on Isaac's back. (This is a foreshadow of Christ carrying His cross.) Abraham carried the "knife and fire." This brings to mind God's requirement that each of us must carry the flame of God to truly worship Him. When Isaac questioned the whereabouts of the sacrificial lamb, Abraham responded, "My son, God will provide Himself the lamb for the burnt offering." (Genesis 22:8 - NKJV) Arriving at their destination, father and son must have had a terrifying moment. But Isaac allowed himself to be tied and laid on the altar of sacrifice.
 
As Abraham took the knife in his hand to plunge it into his son, he heard the angel of the Lord call out to him. "Do not lay a hand on the boy or harm him, for now I know you are fully dedicated to me since you did not withhold your son, your beloved son, from me." (Verse 12) Not only were Abraham and Isaac confirming their faith in God, but they were allowing God to be "The Resurrected One." Obedience brings provision at the eleventh hour and deepens one’s capacity to obey.
 
God came to Abraham with a ram for the burnt offering. He called the place where the sacrifice was given, "The Lord Will Provide" or "Jehovah Jireh." Not only did Abraham receive the provision for his sacrifice, but he also got a promise: "I will greatly bless you! I will make sure your seed becomes as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand of the seashore. Your offspring will take possession of the city gates of their enemies. Because you have obeyed me, the entire world will be blessed through your seed." (Verses 17, 18)
 
We are Abraham's seed (Gal. 3:29), dear ones, and God continues to refine our faith. This means that we will have to go through tests that make no sense. He requires us to be obedient in following His instructions even when we do not know the details of what is involved. However, we can trust that the outcome will be glorious because Father God always provides for our needs and grows our faith in the process.