By Dorothy Richardson, Houston Coalition for Life
Verse(s): “He will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of His people He will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. On that day it will be said: ‘Indeed, this is our God; we looked to Him, and He saved us! This is the LORD to whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that He has saved us!’” – Isaiah 25: 8-9
Reflection: While praying on the sidewalk with my fiance one day, he mentioned how beautiful he found the trees and greenery surrounding the Planned Parenthood abortion facility. I shrugged and replied that people usually comment how ironic it seems; I’ve even heard people wish the trees and plants would all wither and die, to show the darkness of the abortion facility.
He thought about it for a moment then replied, “I can understand that feeling, but I don’t see it that way. To me, it’s a sign of God’s power: even with all the ugliness inside, His beauty is still pressing in on every side. Eventually, the light and beauty will win. Someday, the darkness will be banished for good.”
What a powerful reminder this was for me – even when we face the ugliness of abortion, we can recognize that God’s beauty is still pressing in on every side, that we do not stand alone in our opposition to this darkness. In fact, we have to remember that WE are meant to be part of the beauty. Our attitudes of gentleness and compassion, our offering of hope and life-affirming alternatives – these must be a sign to abortion-vulnerable families that they are not alone in the darkness.
Let’s pray that we would never lose the conviction that we fight FROM VICTORY – we already know Who will win the battle for Life. Because Christ has destroyed the power of death by His Passion and Resurrection, we can bravely battle against the culture of death with hope and joy! The victory is assured; He calls us to join the fight!
Faith Challenge: Commit to a time when you can go out to an abortion facility to pray. While you are there, look around for a sign of God’s beauty and let it encourage your heart. Make a list of ways you have seen God pour out His blessings in your life through your efforts to defend the lives of the unborn.