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Day 13 - March 21

Intention:

We pray for the strength to love those who do not love us.

Scripture:

But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

-- Jonah 4:10-11

Reflection:

God doesn't value people and things like we do. Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.

But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation. We were created on the sixth day after God had completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created thing. And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists. So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who don't love us back.

Prayer:

Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of most difficult things you could ask of us. Please remind us that this is how you love and that if you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do it. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dennis DiMauro
Lutherans for Life representative to the National Pro-life Religious Council

Today’s email from Shawn Carney:

I have an urgent prayer request below but first ...

... we are seeing a huge impact this spring on the on
abortion center employees.

Stories across the board continue to pour in about the
peaceful vigil’s impact on abortion center employees.

In one case, someone who arrived to apply for a job ...
and did not realize that Planned Parenthood does
abortions.

In another case, abortion centers are cutting hours.

Here’s my urgent prayer request ... plus an exciting
look at several locations where prayer is having a
HUGE impact!

PRAYERS NEEDED!

I’d like to ask you to keep one particular 40 Days for
Life campaign in prayer. Because of the nature of this
situation, I’m not going to disclose the location.

The bottom line is that a key employee at an abortion
center wants out. The 40 Days for Life vigil volunteers
are helping, so please pray for this situation.

If this employee leaves, then it’s quite possible that
another key person may also quit. And if THAT happens —
well, the volunteer says the center might not be able
to keep operating with both of them gone.

“God is working miracles through this campaign,” said
the volunteer. Please pray for these employees!

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

One of the vigil participants in San Antonio noticed a
woman who got out of her car in the Planned Parenthood
parking lot.

“She looked to be business oriented,” said the
volunteer. “I called out to her and she smiled and
came to the sidewalk.” The woman said she was there
for a job interview.

“I asked her if she knew they performed abortions here
— and she said that she did not.”

The volunteer told her about the legal situations
Planned Parenthood is in right now. “I also told her
how our local Coalition for Life could help her locate
other clinics where she might apply for work.”

A bit later, the woman returned to her car. “She had
turned down the interview and gave us a wave,” the
40 Days for Life participant said. “We are changing
hearts and minds!”

WACO, TEXAS

As volunteers continue to pray outside a Planned
Parenthood abortion center in Waco, the local team
there has learned that two other regional Planned
Parenthood offices have closed — at least temporarily.

“With all the bad news facing Planned Parenthood locally
and nationally,” said John in Waco, “I suspect this will
be a long temporary closure.”

Planned Parenthood opened these centers in the past few
years with a lot of publicity and fanfare. Abortions are
not done there, but they do refer women to the office in
Waco where the 40 Days for Life vigil is in progress.

“We pray during 40 Days for Life,” said John, “that
Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility in Waco will close.”

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA

40 Days for Life volunteers in Lincoln hope today sees
a repeat of what happened last Tuesday.

“Tuesdays are the only day that Planned Parenthood of
Lincoln does surgical abortions,” Sheila said. in a note
she posted on the 40 Days for Life blog.

But last Tuesday, the abortion total was ZERO!

“We do not know why,” she said, but none were scheduled.

“We are blessed that God has chosen to reveal these
fruits,” wrote Sheila.

“Truly our prayers are saving lives.”