Prayer, contrary to what some people may believe, is not us giving our "grocery lists" to God. He already knows the desires of our hearts, and while He does want us to talk to Him about them, that's not all He wants from us. He wants that real relationship. Jesus died so we could have it; it was that important.
And sometimes relationships can take quite a bit of work. You might need to spend hours talking together to figure something out that's been troubling. I have often found myself wrestling on my knees, be it a difficult situation or a question or even a passage of Scripture I'm just not getting.
Two nights ago, I committed myself to wrestle with God. About a week and a half ago, a man named Kermit Gosnell, a late-term abortionist, was charged with eight counts of murder; seven fetuses and one mother. He is alleged to have killed thousands of others by stabbing them with scissors in their spines. Former clients have said they had long term injuries, not to mention post abortion syndrome. He was accused about the same time as the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade's decision was marked. And not long after I read the news, I was informed that 23,000 infants are aborted each week. Week. That's about 3,285 per day, 137 per hour, and a little more than 2 every minute of every day.
Let me put this in perspective: in the time it takes you to brush your teeth, about 4 children will lose their chances to ever take a single breath. In a 15 minute shower over 30 lives are lost before they ever begin. And in the time it takes to catch up on an episode of The Biggest Loser, 205 infants are murdered.
This absolutely ripped my soul apart. I wanted to throw up; I wanted to scream, and I wanted to tell everyone who would listen (and kind of did that one). But God tells us in His Word to take our worries to Him in prayer (Matthew 6:25-27, Philippians 4:6). So I went to a quiet place, set out a blanket and I got on my knees and wrestled with God about this problem. He is the author of life. The Lord forms each and every one of us and knows us from the time we're cells in the womb. I cried, I rose my voice, and I listened. I listened hard. And then the whole thing repeated. Over and over. Until I heard this:
My daughter, I have given you a heart for this that you might allow me to work in you to change this. You cannot, but I can. Trust Me. 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
God has laid it on my heart to find (or start? that would be a whole other story in trusting Him) an organization dedicated to connecting women considering abortions to families who want to adopt. I can't let this go. I think of the 46 lives lost while I wrote this post and feel called to answer when God asks, "Won't You Be My Love?"
Lord God, You are My Father, but You are also Father to the world. You made each of those tiny precious souls and I know that they are with You in heaven. But I also know that as Your Church, we cannot let this continue. Show us the way, Lord, as You showed us in Jesus. He cared for the helpless and the needy, and I can't think of anyone who fits that better than those babies. Lead me, and I will go. I will be Your love where it needs to be. Thank You for the way You value each and every one of us; let us do the same. In Jesus' Name Amen
Be careful for nothing;but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18
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