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Day 3 - September 28

Intention:

We pray for God's gift of strength as we strive to protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.

Scripture:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

-- Matthew 6:25-26

Reflection:

Billions of dollars are spent each year on diet plans. But Jesus tells us to stop worrying so much about our bodies, and instead to trust in God's care for our physical needs.

What would happen if the people who had started on a low-carb diet this year had instead gone on a diet of heavenly food? For non-believers that diet would include trusting in Christ for their salvation, and for believers it would include a renewed prayer life, a new Bible study, or even a spiritual fast. This diet doesn't include giving up on certain kinds of foods. What this diet includes is giving up on anxiety by resting in the loving arms of Christ, trusting that He will provide.

Such a spiritual diet also frees us from our worries, and allows us to freely praise Him and serve others. "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

This promised provision teaches us the inestimable worth of our lives. He will not allow us to go without. This intimate knowledge and care for human life on the part of our gracious God is what motivates us to seek for the preservation of human life in all its stages.

Prayer:

Loving heavenly Father, help us to see the worth of all human beings by the way in which you provide for us. We would ask that you provide also the faith, grace and courage to enable us to protect that which is so precious to you. Through Christ our Lord, amen.

Dennis DiMauro
Lutherans for Life

Today’s email:

I’m just back from speaking to a HUGE crowd at the
40 Days for Life kickoff in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Their vigil moved to a new site for 2012 — a
Planned Parenthood location. That’s because last
year, the site where the volunteers had been praying
previously STOPPED DOING ABORTIONS!

In this short video report, local leader Brian Gibson
outlines 40 Days for Life’s focus on prayer for SEVEN
campaigns ... and Regions Hospital’s decision to get
out of the abortion business.

To watch this encouraging video, go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3285

DOVER, DELAWARE

The kickoff events I attend may draw hundreds, but
the vigils themselves usually see just a few people
at a time. Passersby may shrug and say, “There’s not
much to it, is there?”

But as you know ... there’s more going on than
meets the eye!

“Small but mighty” is the subject line on a picture
the Dover team e-mailed me. It shows a few people at
the peaceful vigil on public grounds outside Planned
Parenthood during Dover’s ninth 40 Days for Life
campaign.

As Jesus told us in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I
in their midst.”

To see the picture from the Dover campaign, please
go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3285

FINLAND

Even if by chance you are outside the abortion center
by yourself, you are certainly not alone. There are
others also standing vigil, at every hour of each of
these 40 days, at some place around the world

“Here in Finland, we don’t have 40 Days for Life yet,”
wrote someone only identified as Foreigner, “but at
least one person is praying over the daily devotionals
with you and following your blog.”

Foreigner describes a country where any sort of
physical punishment for children is forbidden. “But
abortion (most before 12 weeks by drugs) is seen as
something so normal that there aren’t even done in
separate abortion facilities, but in every hospital,
even in maternity wards, in every health center, by
almost every doctor and nurse.”

Foreigner held her own one-person candlelight prayer
vigil outside a hospital on Day 1 as two women came
out. One was wearing a nightgown and robe. An abortion
patient, Foreigner wondered? If so, “I hope and pray
God will help them see what they have done, so they
can be saved and healed, and save others from making
the horrible ‘choice.’”

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA

The abortion center in Fort Lauderdale was closed on
Wednesday — it may have been because of Yom Kippur,
the Jewish holy day known as the Day of Atonement. “But
we made an impact as we stood and prayed,” said John.

One driver saw their signs, stopped and called out
through her open window. She wanted to know if
abortion was okay in cases of incest. John’s wife
had a 20-minute conversation with her and made some
headway in explaining why abortion is always wrong.

“Standing and praying at the abortion center brings
the buried issue of abortion to the surface,” John
said, “and that can lead to changed minds — and
changed hearts.”

If you haven’t joined the vigil yet, he added, please
do so! Here’s the link to the list of locations:

http://40daysforlife.com/location

To see a photo from the 40 Days for Life vigil in
Fort Lauderdale, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3285