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David Brandao, Communications Director, 40 Days for Life

Intention:

That we may use these 40 Days for Life

to plead for God’s mercy and grace upon

all those involved in the sin of abortion.

Scripture:

Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a

fast, call an assembly. Gather the people,

notify the congregation. Assemble

the elders; gather the children and the

infants at the breast… Let the priests,

the ministers of the Lord, weep and

say, "Spare, O Lord, your people.”

—Joel 2:15-17

Reflection:

The toll of abortion cannot be measured.

We hear estimates of almost 55

million innocent victims, but that’s only

one aspect of the harm that has unfolded

in abortion’s wake. There are also

the mothers and fathers of these millions,

as well as the grandparents,

brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles,

cousins. Unborn lives destroyed. Lives

of the living shattered.

It’s overwhelming and depressing, but

even in the midst of such unfathomable

darkness, the church teaches us to have

hope. Yes, it was indeed Calvary that

followed Christ’s 40 days in the desert,

but without Calvary there would have

been no Resurrection – His victory

over death that opened the gates of

heaven to those who believe in and follow

Him.

The psalmist encourages us to go humbly

before God as we seek His will:

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within

me… Give me back the joy of your

salvation and a willing spirit sustain

in me… O Lord, open my lips, and

my mouth shall proclaim your

praise (Psalm 51:12-17).

We are called to be God’s messengers;

or as the Apostle Paul wrote:

We are ambassadors for Christ, as if

God were appealing through us. We

implore you on behalf of Christ: be

reconciled to God (2 Corinthians

5:20).

That is the true message to all we encounter

at the abortion centers and in

our communities who have been deceived

by the Culture of Death. We

don’t bring condemnation; we bring

God’s good news.

Prayer:

Lord, we ask for the strength, courage,

wisdom, determination and stamina to

carry out this mission according to

Your will.

Guide us, we pray, as we go forth and

proclaim Your truth, always doing so

with a spirit of love and compassion, as

was demonstrated to us through the

work of Your Son, Jesus Christ. In His

name we pray, amen.

Last night, I spoke at a kickoff event near Houston ...
and David Bereit, our national director, spoke at an
opening rally in Fairfax, Virginia.

Those are just two of the 261 locations that start
40 Days for Life at a time when many Christians are
entering the season of Lent to prepare their hearts
for the Resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday.

Just recently, I told you about a city where the
abortion center, where faithful volunteers had intended
to peacefully pray for 40 days, had CLOSED and gone out
of business.

Well, we just confirmed that it happened AGAIN!!!

This time, prayer volunteers in Greensboro, North
Carolina were getting ready for their second peaceful
vigil outside the Woman’s Choice abortion facility. But
now, those plans have changed.

This abortion center has also SHUT ITS DOORS and
is not relocating!

“All glory to God!” said one of those volunteers. “All
the furniture is gone,” she said. “They left like a
thief in the night.”

This now makes TWENTY-EIGHT abortion centers where
40 Days for Life vigils have taken place that are
now totally shut down.

There’s a second abortion facility in Greensboro,
so the local 40 Days for Life team is quickly making
plans to move their peaceful vigil to the public right
of way outside that business.

“All praise and thanks to Christ our King for this
great gift,” the Greensboro team announced. “Come and
pray with us at our new location!”

If you’ve not taken part in 40 Days for Life before,
I hope this shows what can happen when you put your
trust in God and step forward in faith.

Find the 40 Days for Life campaign nearest you by
going to:

http://40daysforlife.com/location

Look for your nearest location, click on that city’s
name, and then sign up to get involved however you can.

Karen, I’d like to invite you to join the
journey — and look forward to seeing what additional
blessings God has in store!