Did you enjoy a shower this morning - not too hot and not too cold, just right? Shortly thereafter, I assume you headed off to work or started work in your home office. I did as well - another routine day. Then my mind went to the millions of Ukrainians that have not seen a shower or any semblance of a routine day in over three weeks. Their suffering hit me and I got on my knees. I confessed taking the blessings of freedom for granted and prayed the Lord would rebuke evil at work to kill freedom in this world.

On June 6th, 1944, those blessings were not being taken for granted in these United States. It was a time of great anxiety as Nazi Germany had notched up several victories in the European theater of World War II. But on that day the D-Day invasion was to be launched. And on that morning, while there was no announcement over the loudspeaker and no visible source of the news at Union Station in Washington D.C., word that the invasion had begun passed from friend to friend and stranger to stranger. The loud hum of a thousand conversations that normally echoed in the waiting area ceased. A woman dropped to her knees and folded her hands; near her, a man knelt down. Then another, and another until all in the waiting area knelt in prayer before the hard wooden benches – the railroad station became a special place for peace and prayer.

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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. – 2Chronicles 7:14. It is always a wonderful act of humility to pray, especially in the public square. Prayers of praise, confession and repentance are a sweet aroma to our Father. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7. Being anxious is the antithesis of a calm faith. And peace does not mean that everything is going to go your way all the time. Peace is a translation of shalom. In its most expressive sense, shalom is the positive state of rightness and well-being in the midst of battles. So even battles we face are blessings in that the Lord is at work in us – specifically, in all things God works for the good of those who love Him – Romans 8:28.

“The quiet lasted for no longer than a few minutes. Then, slowly, the woman rose to her feet. The man next to her rose, too. Within seconds the station was alive with movement and talk again.” (The account of this happening at Union Station first appeared in the June 1958 issue of Guideposts – Charles E. Wilson). There were no guarantees that the allied forces could push the German troops out of France and go on to victory in World War II. But the folks in Union Station that morning, and many more across the nation, did what they could do – they prayed and trusted God would do what He could do.

Prayer guide: Father, thank You for Your word and the comfort it provides in this world. I confess that I have taken blessings for granted - the blessing of freedom in You and the blessing of being born in this great nation. Forgive me. Help me embrace Your journey to the cross for me and the journey of our forefathers in establishing this nation under You. I commit to raising a generation that embraces the Christian faith as documented in the Bible and the American ideals as outlined in the Constitution of these United States. Grant me strength to stand firm against evil that tries to diminish either. That is the dad You call men to be and that’s the dad kids across this nation need to see. Amen.

A faithful father takes no blessings for granted and stands firm against evil.