Every year on November 11th, we observe Veterans Day and remember all those who have served our country in times of war. Please take some time on this day to pray for all our veterans. Make sure to share your favorite prayer with your family at mealtime.
Prayer for Deceased Veterans
O God,
by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
Look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country.
Grant that through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom and rejoice in you with your saints forever. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Veteran’s Day Prayer
By Joanna Fuchs
Dear Lord,
Today we honor our veterans,
worthy men and women
who gave their best
when they were called upon
to serve and protect their country.
We pray that you will bless them, Lord,
for their unselfish service
in the continual struggle
to preserve our freedoms, our safety,
and our country’s heritage, for all of us.
Bless them abundantly
for the hardships they faced,
for the sacrifices they made
for their many different contributions
to America’s victories
over tyranny and oppression.
We respect them, we thank them,
we honor them, we are proud of them,
and we pray that you will watch over
these special people
and bless them with peace and happiness.
In Jesus’ name we pray; Amen.
A Prayer for Veterans and their Families
“Jesus, you said, ‘There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.’ Today we pray for those men and women who have, in their military service, sacrificed their time, strength, ambition, health and even their lives on this earth to benefit ‘friends,’ known and unknown.
Many of our warriors carry scars in their hearts as well as on their bodies. Dark memories haunt their dreams at night. Fears cloud their waking hours. Jesus, you came to give us abundant life by providing a way for us to release our pain to you. On the cross you bore our sorrows and brokenness and when we trust you, we can exchange our wounds for your joy in a future unhindered by fate. Bring this gift now to the veterans of our nation who bear tangible and intangible wounds. Heal them, Jesus.
Bless the families of soldiers who bear these pains vicariously. Give them patience and wisdom and strength to endure, and more than endure to hope in faith for a blessed life. God, not everything that happens in life is good. But you promise to work all things together for good to those who love you and align their lives with your purpose. Create good in the families of veterans who have experienced pain and loss. Do this miracle, we pray.
We honor our veterans in your name. We thank you – as we thank them – for their sacrifice. We ask you to return to them the favor of your blessing, a gift we on our own could never offer. We ask that you would give our veterans a peace beyond the peace they fought to secure, a peace in their own hearts, wrapped in the joy of a life touched by your strong hand.
In Jesus we pray…”
A Prayer for Veterans
By the Rev. Dr. Jennifer Phillips, Rector at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church at the University of Rhode Island
God of all nations, you are our Strength and Shield. We give you thanks today for the devotion and courage of all those who have offered military service for this country:
For those who have fought for freedom;
For those who have laid down their lives for others;
For those who have borne suffering of mind or of body;
For those who have brought their best gifts to times of need.
God, in your mercy and love, we thank you for their lives.
On our behalf, oh God, many have entered into danger, endured separation from those they love, labored long hours and born hardship in war and in peacetime.
God, in your mercy and love, we thank you for their lives.
We ask today that you would lift up by your Spirit those who are now at war; encourage and heal those in hospitals or mending their wounds at home; guard those in any need or trouble; hold safely in your hands all military families and bring the returning troops to joyful reunion and tranquil life at home.
Give to us, your people, grateful hearts and a united will to honor these men and women and hold them always in our love and our prayers until your world is perfected in peace and all wars cease.
Through Jesus Christ, our Savior,
Amen
A Prayer for Veterans
Compassionate God, Source of Mercy, we pay tribute to those who have served our country, to express our gratitude for their courage and selflessness, both those among us today and those of generations past. This nation, built by those born of this soil and those who have come here from all the corners of the earth, is on a continual journey toward its destiny. May we never let down those who have served in defense of this country. May we uphold the values of freedom, of the inherent dignity of every human being, by our own right conduct, by the kindness and tolerance we show to one another. May we lead the world by example, and become, in the words of Isaiah, a light to the nations. Then will the labors and sacrifices of these veterans be honored not in words alone, but by our deeds.
Compassionate God, Source of Mercy, we give thanks for those who have served our country, to express our gratitude for their courage and selflessness, both those among us today and those of generations past.
This nation, built by those born of this soil and those who have come here from all the corners of the earth, is on a continual journey toward its destiny.
May we never let down those who have served in defense of this country. May we uphold the values of freedom, of the inherent dignity of every human being, by our own right conduct, by the kindness and tolerance we show to one another. May we lead the world by example, and become, in the words of Isaiah, a light to the nations. Then will the labors and sacrifices of these veterans be honored not in words alone, but by our deeds.
We pray that you watch over these veterans today and always, and bless them with happiness and peace, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
