Day of Preparation - September 25
Intention:
For God's blessing upon all participating in the coming 40 Days for Life campaign.
Scripture:
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 forgive their sin and heal their land.
-- 2 Chronicles 7:14
Reflection:
Not unlike God's chosen people of Israel, we must humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways, if we expect God to hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. The need for repentance has not been greater since the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. The number one cause of death in America is the needless sacrifice of our children at the altar of convenience called abortion. Conservative estimates put the number of deaths at nearly 48 million.
And lest we think this is an issue outside the church walls, 43 percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27 percent identify themselves as Catholic. One in four women has at least one abortion by the age of 45 -- both non-Christian and Christian alike. Where was the voice of Truth -- the church?
Mary Comm of In Our Midst Ministries, Inc. sums up the issue best as she writes, "We (the church) have been an unintentional accomplice to the millions of lives lost and to the multiplied millions of lives devastated by abortion. We didn't want them to abort. We didn't mean for them to abort. But, because of our lack of knowledge, because of our fear, we have continued to stand by and do nothing. We, God's hands and feet in this dark and hurting world, have been unintentional, unknowledgeable accomplice, but an accomplice nonetheless."
May today mark the beginning of change within the church, as God's people, in unity, seek His forgiveness.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we have turned our backs on you and your principles in your Word. We have allowed man to usurp Your role as God over life and the number of our days. But we come to you in brokenness and repentance over our sin. We cry out for Your mercy and ask you to remove the scourge of abortion from our land. Use us as your vessels, Lord, to bring the light of Your Truth to our nation once again. Because of Christ we pray, amen.
Carmen Pate
40 Days for Life board of directors