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Day 23 - March 15

Intention:

For the medical community, that the truth they know about the human body may become awe and wonder at the God who made it.

Scripture:

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

--Psalm 139:16

Reflection:

Human beings -- God's tapestries.

Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals the enormity and otherness of God. His divine attributes are on display: omniscience (2-4), omnipresence (7-12), loving-kindness (17-18), justice (19-20), righteousness (23-24), and omnipotence. Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did the psalmist use - God's creation of mountains, seas, or far-flung galaxies? No, he used none of these. To express the wonder of God's unparalleled creative power the writer mentions the fashioning of the human in the womb (14-16).

The Hebrew word used to express God's forming of us in the womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery. In other words, we are a tapestry that displays God's artistic mastery. And, like the artist who knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

What is true for this psalmist is true for each human being. Each is fashioned by God and known by him and we can proclaim on behalf of each, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

Prayer:

Gracious God, help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of Your creation. Help us proclaim on behalf of every one of our fellow human beings, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." May the knowledge that we are intimately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.

Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

just got back from visiting the Roanoke, Virginia
campaign, where 40 Days for Life is having a huge
impact in the exact spot where lives are changed —
the public right of way outside the abortion center.

The changes that can be experienced there are profound
— and sometimes unexpected. Here are three examples.

CINCINNATI, OHIO

A dad wrote to say he and his teenage son were praying
outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center as part
of the 40 Days for Life vigil.

“We parked the car, crossed the street and walked up
to the black iron fence that surrounded the facility,”
he said. “Almost instantly, tears began to flow from
my eyes and would not stop; my heart felt like it was
being wrenched in my chest.”

His son only had one comment the entire time they were
there: “It feels so sad.” He later told this father he
did not want to speak, “out of fear that he would be
reduced to a sobbing mess on the concrete sidewalk.”

On the drive back home, the teen pulled out his phone
and started calling friends. His dad heard him tell one
friend after another such things as, “I don’t care what
they’re telling you in school. That’s a life inside a
woman, not just a blob of flesh or a tumor! Don’t ever
get an abortion! Don’t encourage someone to do it! Don’t!”

“I was taken aback,” the dad said. “I had never seen him
exhibit such a conviction. The vigil changed him. I
think it changed both of us in ways we could not have
imagined.”

For pictures of the vigil in Cincinnati, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2944

HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS

Debbie left a note on the 40 Days for Life blog about
her conversation with a man outside the abortion
center in Haverhill, where she was taking part in
the peaceful vigil.

She spoke to the man, and he told her his daughter was
inside. Debbie asked him, “Is there any way you can
change her mind? That’s your grandchild!”

As he walked toward the building, Debbie told him the
group would be praying. “He turned and gave me thumbs-up.”

About 10 minutes later, the man and his teenage
daughter walked out. “I asked is she going to keep
the baby — and he said we’re still talking about it,”
Debbie said. She then gave them information about the
local pregnancy care center — and the teen smiled.

“I’m still praying for them,” she said, noting there
are so many influences in the world that will tell
them there’s nothing wrong with abortion.

FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA

Carolyn and several others were standing in prayer
outside the abortion center in Fairfax when a woman
got out of her car and walked over to the volunteers.

This young woman explained that a year ago, she was
pregnant — and had scheduled an appointment there for
an abortion. When she drove past the building beforehand,
she saw people praying — and she changed her mind.

She then showed the volunteers a picture of her
4-month-old child.

She had wanted to stop by and tell her story, Carolyn
said, “and to thank us for what we were doing. It was
an amazing ‘God moment,’ and a very encouraging one
that I wanted to pass along.”