"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10 NASB
REFLECT
The pages of America’s history books are filled with veterans, moving, shaking, leading, and innovating, pushing our nation toward new heights. Veterans throughout history followed their military service by going into government and politics, medicine, the mission field, the sciences, and even into space!
Our nation will pause on Tuesday to celebrate Veterans Day – a day set aside to reflect on the freedoms that our military has secured and safeguarded for generations, and to honor the men and women who have selflessly served in the ranks of the armed forces.
Honor has an ‘active’ component that goes beyond simple recognition. Our honor for veterans moves us to show respect, thoughtfully consider their sacrifices and commitment, and continually pray for them and their flourishing.
One of the best ways we can pray is for veterans to walk in the new purposes that God has for their lives after the military.
“In a world screaming for leaders, we have a lot of men and women, veterans, who understand leadership,” says Jeremy Stalnecker, CEO of Mighty Oaks Foundation, U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and prayer partner to the NDP Task Force. Mighty Oaks Foundation serves veterans and active-duty service members in need of spiritual and emotional restoration and resilience, with Stalnecker at the helm.
“We have proven leaders, men and women who have demonstrated their ability to lead in some of the most chaotic environments in the world, whether it's combat or non-combat roles. These are leaders who are extremely dedicated, who understand hard work, who understand leadership, who understand pressure.
These are our skills that we would pray for in a political leader, that we pray for in a business leader, and all of the other environments of life,” says Stalnecker.
However, many veterans struggle to transition well into their new callings in civilian life. The abrupt change in purpose, belonging, and mutual understanding with peers can leave veterans experiencing profound isolation and spiritual and emotional distress.
We must pray for veterans to be grounded in their identity in Christ, which is unchanging through every season and circumstance, and intercede for them, asking God to bring restoration that leads to flourishing in the new path He has set for each veteran.
We can also pray for organizations like Mighty Oaks Foundation, who God has tasked with being His hands and feet, serving veterans seeking wholeness after their military service.
“If we can take the leadership training and experience that they've developed through their time in uniform and bring that over into other environments… and if we can help them find clarity of purpose and mission in a new place, it's the most powerful thing you could do for your company, community or church,” says Stalnecker.
Asking God to give veterans a renewed sense of purpose and a deeper, unshakable identity in Him is essentially, asking for them to be filled with hope! As we prayed throughout 2025, hope is joyful, confident expectation in God, and as Romans 5:5 promises, this hope will not disappoint!
Hope is central to the message that Dr. John Arroyo teaches in schools, veterans groups, and military installations across the nation. Dr. Arroyo was serving in the Army as a Green Beret in 2014, when he was one of 16 who was injured during a mass shooting at Fort Hood. After being shot point blank, he distinctly heard God tell him to “get up!”
Through physical, emotional, spiritual, and familial recovery, God has given Dr. Arroyo a testimony and a mission, which he sums up in “Get Up!” Through his speaking, writing, teaching, and advocacy, God is using him to invite other veterans, and anyone who has experienced trauma, to walk in what he calls “post traumatic growth” - coming out trials better than before, by experiencing God’s restoration.
“’Get Up’ is an outcry, a rally for hope. When you get up, you leave a legacy of hope,” says Dr. Arroyo. “You can recover, but God can restore.”
Will you join me in praying for our military?
Lord, You are our Creator and Redeemer – You are almighty, and there is nothing in our lives that You cannot heal and restore! Today, I lift up our military veterans. I pray for veterans who are at low points, and even in crisis, that You would break through and they would see that You are the God of Hope; that they would begin to seek You and experience salvation and restoration in their lives. I rejoice that You create each person in Your image, with a purpose. Reveal to veterans the purposes that You have for them – these mighty men and women have been equipped by You for powerful purposes after their military service! Give them strong connections with their families, churches, and communities, to see that they are deeply valued and appreciated for the skills, gifts, and wisdom they bring each day, in addition to being honored for their past service. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Peace and blessings,
Amy Parks
Communications Director
