“When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.”
Numbers 10:9

In the Philippines, there is a war cemetery that is slowly deteriorating. In 1991, the volcano Mount Pinatubo buried the graves with ash and forced the U.S. soldiers stationed there to abandon it. Now there is little hope that the obscured names, dates, and epitaphs will be cleared any time soon.

While the fate of this cemetery may be uncertain, our celebration of the 4th of July does help us remember the sacrifices of our service men and women. These fallen men and women gave their lives to keep order and safety in our lives today.

Wars have been fought on this earth continually since Bible times. The passage for today highlights God’s instructions to the children of Israel regarding how they should call on him before going into battle. At the time, Israel was wandering around in the wilderness. They had no home country, so sounding the trumpets was a constant reminder to them that God was in control. And God made them this promise, “then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.”

How often do feel like we are also “wandering around in the wilderness?” We forget God’s promise that he is in control of our past, present, and future needs. We worry about money or the economy, wars or political struggles, and fight with our family and friends. We don’t call on God when troubles oppress our lives.

Isn’t it comforting to know, then, that while we don’t always remember to call on God for help, he never forgets about us! God is in control of all our battles, both physical and spiritual. And he promises that all we need to do is “sound a blast on the trumpets” and the LORD our God will remember us. He will rescue us from our enemies.

Not all of us can be soldiers. So on days like the 4th of July we remember the men and women who have sacrificed their lives in our place. And though we are not all soldiers, we know that while we are here on earth all of us will have constant battles to face in our lives. That’s when we remember the work of God’s son, Jesus Christ, who gave his life in our place. Today, remember the Lord and the salvation we have through Jesus Christ. Today, celebrate your freedom!

Prayer: Dear Lord, you never forget us and continually remember to rescue us from our enemies. Thank you for sending your Son in our place to win a place in heaven for us. Guard and protect us always so that we never forget your saving grace. Amen.