August 22
After asking for God’s protection over the servicemen in danger on the beaches of Normandy, President Roosevelt continued with his prayer, asking God for unity and courage throughout the nation. With this heartfelt plea he completed his radio broadcast on June 6, 1944, the night of D-Day:
And for us at home fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.337
But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies make straight your way before me.
August 23
Jerry’s father joined the Army in 1944, a few months after she was born. After basic training he was sent to the war zone in Italy where he served for two years. Jerry had memories of getting together with other service families and playing with the other children. She also remembered her mother’s letters that she always sealed with a freshly applied lipstick kiss. On one occasion Jerry was allowed to wet her own mouth with orange juice and apply an “orange juice kiss.” She had generally pleasant memories of her wartime experience because her mother was so good at sheltering her from the tension and anxiety that she experienced. She did clearly remember the day her father came home.
At last the day arrived when my father was due to come home. Yes, he had survived combat and the attendant challenges of being away from home and family for so long. I was staying with my grandparents while Mom went to the train station to pick him up. When they arrived, I was upstairs in my grandparents’ bath tub. I remember hearing large footsteps bounding up the stairs two at a time, followed by this tall, young man entering the bathroom. To this day I can vividly hear my grandmother saying “This is your daddy.” He grabbed me out of the tub, and we began our bonding process that had been delayed for more than two years.338
We know that there were many unhappy endings to family separations during this and every other war. That fact is what makes this heartwarming story of reunion so uplifting. We have a little reminder from history, if we need it, of how precious our families are. We should look at them every day with the eyes of a returning soldier and a long-separated daughter.
The jailor brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God he and his whole family.
August 24
Myra Strachner continued to write her boyfriend, Pvt. Bernie Staller, even after he was reported missing in action. Her last letter was written on April 18, 1945, the day before news of his death arrived.
Today I cried again. I haven’t since the day the president died. I was lying on my bed in the afternoon today and I found my lips forming words, “It’s too hard! It’s too hard!” over and over again, and when I realized what I was saying I started to cry quietly. Then I went into the den and played some of the songs that mean something to us and I cried hard for a little while…339
While it is often said that the Lord doesn’t give us more than we can bear, I’m sure this woman and countless others mourning the loss of loved ones felt inadequate to deal with the pain of their loss. Even those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior are not promised a pain-free life. When Jesus walked this earth, he allowed his good friend Lazarus to die and be buried by his grief-stricken sisters. The pain was real, even though three days later Jesus brought Lazarus back to life for the glory of God and so that many people’s faith would be increased.
Today, God does not choose to reveal himself through resurrecting the dead. Instead, he is glorified when his children experience trials and suffering and yet remain faithful to him. In the midst of Job’s epic suffering, Job’s wife told him to “ curse God and die” rather than continue to live with the physical and emotional pain (Job 2:9). But Job refused, and God was glorified. (JG)
[Job] replied, “…Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
August 25
Cpl. Samuel Kramer wrote to
