Today’s devotional deals with sacrifice … and really, that’s what 40 Days for Life is all about — sacrifice.
It’s a lot easier to hit the snooze button and roll over for a little more sleep than it is to get out of bed early in the morning and drive down to an abortion center vigil.
It’s a lot easier to stay at home at night to watch a movie with the family than to go pray outside a building where the doors are locked and all the lights are off.
But we make the sacrifice.
We do it not for ourselves … but for Christ, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for us. And when we pray, He listens.
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ITHACA, NEW YORK
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When it comes to ending the abortion crisis, Mary Anne in Ithaca put it simply: “Prayer is the key.”
People will walk past vigil participants, telling them that their presence on the street is a waste of time — or that they should be doing something useful, like providing food and clothing for the poor. “Many do not see prayer as an activity,” she said.
Mary Anne recalled a young couple who got out of their car to talk to her. The man spoke about all of the supposed “good” that Planned Parenthood does.
She responded, “Think about your fatherhood. You’ll regret your lost fatherhood. I would not go in there.” She told him about the pregnancy help center around the corner. The couple walked up and down the street — but never went into Planned Parenthood.
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LONDON, ONTARIO
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The 40 Days for Life team in this Canadian city told of an 18-year-old woman who stopped to talk to the people praying outside the hospital.
She was pregnant and was considering abortion. Every day, she had to travel past the people praying outside the hospital. And every time she went by, in her mind she would hear the words, “Don’t kill.”
It really bothered her. So she figured she’d just take an alternate route. But still she thought of the vigil, and the words would not go away. She then told the vigil participants she was no longer abortion-minded.
“I imagine she’ll have many obstacles to overcome,” one of the volunteers said, “but God can do all things.”
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PORTLAND, OREGON
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“This is our second campaign at Planned Parenthood in Portland,” Therese said. “This time, Planned Parenthood actually hired two security guards to work on surgical abortion days.”
Last week, one of those guards came to deliver a message to vigil participants — the abortion center had put up a sign. The volunteers couldn’t see it from where they were standing, so the guard came and told them. The sign read, “Planned Parenthood will be closed at 2:00 today.”
“They normally close at 4:00,” Therese said. “This is the first time I know of that this has happened.”
She also noted the presence of mothers and children at the 40 Days for Life vigil. “It is such a powerful witness to see Moms and kids out there,” she said … adding that the children love to hold signs.
“The Holy Spirit is moving in so many ways here,” Therese said, “It is just amazing!”
