A Call to Prayer (Day 4 from Cleansing Thoughts)

     I tried to turn away from what I was seeing in my mind's eye, but it held me captive; then suddenly, the image changed, and I could not refrain from crying out. Some time ago, I don't remember just when I had seen a picture of Christ crying as He held an unborn child in His hand. There are no memorials to these victims. No Hall of Names containing the Pages of Testimony symbolic of their gravestones. As a nation, we do not unite in reverence to their memory; instead, we stand divided, torn between the freedom of choice and the right to life. Oh, how it must grieve the heart of God.

    When I look down on the cluster of six yellow tulips, I am reminded of that day. I came out of my prayer closet with a renewed sense of value towards life and a hope that as a nation we would repent and stand together, as the Jewish people have, to remember those lives we have taken by abortion. The Word of God says He is looking for those who will make up a hedge and stand in the gap before Him. Second Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) says, "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

    "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34, NKJV).

    Man's inhumanity to man leaves its scars on generation after generation. The visible evidence of the Holocaust can be seen not only in numbers tattooed on the forearm of its survivors but in places like the Yah Vashem, which stands a memorial to its victims. But only God can see the scars and the victims left by the choices we make when we place our will above the will of God. Psalm 123:1,4,8 and 13 (NKJV) speaks of God's perfect knowledge of man, "O Lord, You have searched me and know me . . . For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether . . . If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there . . . For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb."

    We are known by God, and His love for us caused Him to reach out with the nailed-scared hands of His only son, Jesus Christ, to offer forgiveness for our sins. Beloved, if you are reading this and you have has an abortion, know God loves you and is ready to forgive you. He wants to heal the scars of your past and give you a renewed hope for the future. He has said in His Word He would wipe every tear from your eyes and there would be no more sorrow or pain, only the joy of living in His presence for all eternity. Let me pray with you right now that you may begin anew, healed, and forgiven.

    "Heavenly Father, I stand here with Your daughter, asking for your forgiveness. I have allowed my will to come before the innocent life of another, Come into my heart and forgive me of my sin. Take this burden from me and show me how I might use my life to make a difference in the fight against abortion. Father, shower Your daughter in Your love that she may know the power of your forgiveness. It is in Jesus' name I pray."