This past Thursday marked the 80th anniversary of the day that 160,000 U.S. and allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to liberate the world from tyranny.
In a commemorative speech, President Ronald Reagan said:
The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead, or on the next. It was the deep knowledge — and pray God we have not lost it — that there is a profound moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.
The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought — or felt in their hearts, though they couldn’t know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4:00 am. In Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying. And in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.
Something else helped the men of D-day; their rock-hard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer, he told them: “Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we’re about to do.” Also, that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: “I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”
These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.1
“Pray God we have not lost it” stuck like a dagger in my heart when I first read those words. Like the blood they spilled on Normandy’s shore, the men who purchased our liberties that day have nearly all been washed away. It is up to our generation to honor their memory, cherish our God-given liberty, and defend the Republic they loved even more than life itself.
But this is a prepare-for-worship message first and foremost. As much as I want to honor the memory of those who paid the ultimate price for this country’s liberty, all the more so I hope to remind you not to fear because we are citizens of a better country whose architect and builder is God (Heb. 11:10). Until Jesus returns and realize the inheritance of His Kingdom in full, we are called to carry our cross with great courage in this fallen world–a world, by the way, that hates us with seething and cruel hatred, just as it hated our King (Jn. 15:18).
D-Day was not the end of the War but its victory was so decisive that history recognizes it as the beginning of the end. Battles still had to be fought and much blood would still be shed until nearly one year later, on VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day, May 8, 1945), when Germany surrendered and the war was officially over.
Spiritually speaking, we live between D-Day and VE-Day. Jesus’ victory on that first Easter morning struck such a crippling blow to the enemy that it marked the beginning of the end of our struggle against the spiritual forces of darkness. We still have battles to fight. Sadly, some conflicts will leave profound scars and even cause some to retreat from the faith. Sometimes God, in His wisdom, may have to do heart surgery or amputate a rotting limb. The Bible does not tell us it will be a fun or easy road. In fact, it promises the opposite (Jn. 16:33). But because of Jesus’ triumph over the enemy, we can “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord [our] labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:57).
Take heart and keep persevering, Church! The life we give to the battlefield of faith is never given in vain. Storm the enemy’s gates in prayer; make darkness tremble by worshipping Jesus with your whole heart; defy the powers of darkness and stop up your ears against the world’s propaganda by devoting yourself to a deeper and more steadfast reading of God’s Word.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Eph. 6:10-13).
To inspire courage, keep this song playing on repeat over the weekend (along with the others we will sing on Sunday, linked below):
Your brother,
Ryan
1 Excerpt from Ronald Reagan’s speech at the 40th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1984, in Pointe du Hoc, Normandy, France. The transcription copied above, as well as the full speech, can be found HERE.