Devotional for Day 17, March 13, 2009 Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
Intention: Pray that we choose to trust God to bring an end to abortion soon, no mat?ter how impossible that may seem to others.
Scripture: The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a val?ley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”
— Ezekiel 37:13
Reflection: You and I are standing in a world today over a field of dry bones: those who have been killed by abortion, those who have been killed by so many other things attacking the dignity of human life. And God has placed us here; we find ourselves here in the midst of this in?
credible tragedy. Like Ezekiel, you and I are in a dilemma because God says to us: “Speak and proclaim the Word of Life. Keep doing t. Let nothing deter you.”
People can say, “This is humanly fool?ish, humanly impossible. How can we transform the world from the path of death that it’s on?” Yet we choose to do the “foolish” thing rather than the dan?
gerous thing. If you ever doubt that we can bring an end to this culture of death, this de?struction of the family, this destruction of life by abortion, if you ever think for a moment that it’s impossible, then ask yourself this: Can a man who has been scourged, crowned with thorns, nailed hands and feet to a cross, pierced with a lance, has died and been buried; can such a man ever live again?
Prayer: Lord, I thank you for giving me the holy dilemma of having to choose between the foolish thing or the dangerous r
thing. Yet fo me the solution is clear. Lord, I will obey you, even if it means aiming for a goal which, in the eyes of
others, seems foolish. I will obey you, and will hope for the end of abortion soon, no matter how impossible that may seem to others. I dare not mistrust you; I dare not doubt your power; I dare not fail to follow your call. In you, who raise the dead, all hope comes alive. Amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 18, March 14, 2009 Fr. Terry Gensemer, National Director, Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life
Intention: May we absorb the truth that God is paying attention to us, and to each hu?man life, personally and individually.
Scripture: When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
— Psalm 8:39
Reflection: How often we ignore the phrase, “stop and smell the roses” and instead sub?mit to the all too “urgent” task at hand. Is this tendency what keeps us, at least in part, from acknowledging that God’s care for His sacred creation is para?
mount in His own mind? The Psalmist speaks of God’s handi?work: the heavens, the work of his “fin?gers,” and then points to God’s master?piece – human life. He declares to us that God is mindful of us. God keeps His masterpiece in His thoughts. God, the creator of the awe?inspiring heavens, is not distracted by the tasks efore Him. He is not pulled away, as we might be, by thoughts of something “more important.” God is paying atten?tion to and attending to His crowning glory, His masterpiece of creation, which cannot be duplicated or re?placed, which surpasses the beauty of all other created things – the human being. There is no way to adequately describe how God feels about us as human be?ings. There are no words to fully por?tray His love, compassion or desire to be in communion with us. Perhaps, the closest we can come, is to contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her newborn child. God cares for Life. We, as His followers, should take time to consider the life He has created and called upon us to love and protect.
Prayer: Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my heart especially
to your creation of precious human life. Help me to comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate, love and protect all human life through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 19, March 15, 2009 Carmen Pate, Cohost,
“Point of View” Talk Show
Intention: Pray that when those representing Planned Parenthood and other abor?tion groups see volunteers for 40 Days for Life, they see ambassadors of Christ, and may each volunteer be con?sciously aware at all times of Whom we represent.
Scripture: I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one an?other in love.
— Ephesians 4:1b2
Reflection: When Carol Everett, a former abortion?ist and post?abortive woman, was asked what turned her heart from death to life in Christ, she said, “It was unconditional love,” shown by a man
abortion clinic where she worked. He told Carol that “God had sent him” because there was someone in there that God wanted out. She left 27 days later and now serves as Christ’s am?bassador to help others. We too have been sent by Christ as an ambassador to love unconditionally those God seeks to “get out” of their bondage and sin. What a high calling it is ?? much higher than any presidential appointment to another country.
In his book, Fishers of Men, Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings: ?
God has chosen us (John 15:16)
? ot We are sent into a world that is nour home (1 Peter 2:11) ?
Our walk must match our talk (1Timothy 3:7) ?
We must abide in Him for daily instruction (John 15:5) ? o
Know our purpose ?? to seek and tsave that which is lost (Luke 19:10)? We are to reconcile others to God
with His authority (Matthew 28:19?20) ?
Do not let kindness and truth leaveyou (Proverbs 3:3?4) ? Our service is to be grounded and
rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17) Pray that we each will walk worthy of the calling with which we were called!
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have called us and appointed us to be ambassadors of Christ in a
world that is not our home. We pray that your Holy Spirit will em?power us to walk worthy of the calling. We pray that Your unconditional love will flow through us to those who des?perately need Your saving grace. In the name of Christ who is worthy, amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 20March 16, 2009 Ernest Ohlhoff, Outreach Direcrational Right to Life
, to, N
Intention: We pray for humility in our work for God’s Kingdom.
Scripture: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond?servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and be?came obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
— Philippians 2:58
Reflection: There is no limit to what we can ac?complish when we don’t care who gets
the credit. Jesus Christ’s life on earth exemplifies a total submission to the will of the Fa?ther. His humility, compassion, gentle?ness and thoughtfulness are reflected over and over again in the New Testa?ment. He was God incarnate, yet He chose to be born to a humble, working
class home. How absurd it must have seemed to the ich and powerful that the Son of God,
the Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets, the ‘King of the Jews’ was
born and raised as a simple peasant. During His thirty?three years on earth, He sought no riches, claimed no secular power and gathered no possessions. His short time on earth changed more lives, softened more hearts, and gave hope to more people, than all the rich
and powerful human ‘kings’ combined. And, at the end of His life on earth, by dying on the cross, He opened the door to eternal life for those who heed his words and follow in his footsteps.
Prayer: O Lord, help us follow in the footsteps
of Jesus. Let us humbly and diligently work to restore legal protection for the unborn, the disabled, the medically dependent and all innocent children of God whose e
lives ar threatened. Let us remember the old adage that “He can never lead who has not first
learned to obey.” And, Lord, grant us a peaceful heart as we labor in your name. Amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 21, March 17, 2009 Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
Intention: Pray that we become vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro?life movement.
Scripture: On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they en?tered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”
— Luke 24:15
Reflection: This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard, is adapted for pro?life con?
cerns. It’s Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been killed by his enemies; he is off the scene. But that’s because it’s Friday.
Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday. Abortionists continue their work 3,300 times a day, tearing off the arms and legs of little babies and crushing their heads. But that’s be?
cause it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday. Pro?abortion groups receive blood money from billionaires who are as deceived as they are. But that’s be?ause it’s Friday. Sunday’s comin’!
It’s Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and hide the pain of abor?tion, and ignore the evidence of how it harms women, and call abortion a blessing. But that’s because it’s Friday.
Sunday’s comin’! It’s Friday. People of hardened hearts guard the clinics and usher desperate women in to have their abortions, while keeping them from the pro?life people who want to give them hope. But that’s because it’s Friday. Sunday’s
comin’! Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the whole picture, which is that evil is conquered because of what happened one Sunday morn?ing. We are called to proclaim, cele?brate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ’s return and the re of Life!
full flowering of the CultuIndeed, Sunday’s comin’!
Prayer: Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro?life movement, that as we en?gage in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our Lord, amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 22, March 18, 2009 Carmen Pate, Cohost,
“Point of View” Talk Show
Intention: Pray for fathers who participated in the decision to abort their child, and for those who did not have a voice, that they would find freedom and healing in Christ.
Scripture: If indeed you have heard Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, con?cerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
— Ephesians 4: 2123
Reflection: According to the Guttmacher Institute, one?third of American women will have had an abortion by age 45. Sel?dom reported however is the fact that an equally significant number of men have played a role in terminating a pregnancy. Some have participated through per?suasion, or by providing the financial means for the abortion. Still others were against an abortion, but had no sway in the decision to terminate their child. Only in recent years have we realized that men suffer from their loss, as more and more seek healing. Warren Wil?liams, founder of Fathers and Brothers Ministries says he believes men are coming forward for help because God instilled in men a desire to be a protec?tor of their lineage, a provider for their families, to be a husband and father. Men are suffering and grieving the loss of their children, and though their grief may be expressed differently than that of a woman, it is grief nonetheless and they too need tender care and biblical counseling to experience forgiveness and healing. Intervention at the appropriate time in the decision?making process may spare both the young man and woman from the lifelong pain and trauma of abor?tion. Biblical counseling for post?abortive men and women is essential for them to heal and begin their life anew in Christ.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, We pray for young men who participated in the termination of their child and are bro?
ken as You are over their loss. Forgive their sin, Lord, and bring op?portunity for healing and renewal of ©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
their minds in Christ Jesus. For those suffering from an abortion they did not choose, restore their joy as they learn to forgive others and trust You with their future. In the name of Christ, who heals the brokenhearted, amen.
Devotional for Day 23, March 19, 2009 Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference
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 di?vine attributes are on display: omnis?cience (2?4), omnipresence (7?12), lov?ing?kindness (17?18), justice (19?20), righteousness (23?24), and omnipo?
tence. Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did the psalm?ist 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 he writer mentions the fashioning of he 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 needle?work or embroidery. In other words, we are a tapestry that
displays God’s artistic mastery. And, like the artist who knows his crea?tion 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 inti?mately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 24, March 20, 2009 Rev. Ben Sheldon, President Emeritus, Presbyterians Prolife
Intention: That we may realize the generational impact of abortion.
Scripture: Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her, and she said,” If it is thus, why do I live?” So she went to
inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.”
— Genesis 25:2123
Reflection:
What an answer to prayer! Who dares to say that the unborn are not human, with distinct personality and character right from the moment
of conception? This account emphasizes the vitality and uniqueness of the twins who, be?cause of Isaac’s prayer for his wife,
were conceived in Rebekah’s womb. When Rebekah was told by the Lord hat the older would serve the younger twin, God already knew that Jacob and Esau would lead turbulent and con?
flicted lives. God knows us and knows all about us, including our personality and disposi?tion long before we are actually born, indeed, from the moment we are conceived in our mother’s womb. What a tragedy of gargantuan propor?tions that babies, planned and en?dowed by the Creator, with distinct and unique personalities and with, perhaps, a future and destiny intended for greatness, have their lives snuffed out by cruel abortionists before they ever see the light of day! May our prayers that the dreadful scourge of abortion in our land may vanish be as fervent as Isaac’s were for Rebekah.
Prayer: O, God, you formed us in our mother’s womb and planned a unique and spe?cial life and purpose for each of us, and we do thank you. Grant that we may pray and work for an end to abortion, especially in these 40 days, so that no unborn baby you have made may fail to achieve your divine intention for him or her because of intentional abortion. We pray this for the sake of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 25, March 21, 2009 Carmen Pate, Cohost,
“Point of View” Talk Show
Intention: That God will bless us with His gift of strength as we respond in obedience to His call.
Scripture: Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, "surely we did not know this,” does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man ac?cording to his deeds?
— Proverbs 24:1112
Reflection: In this age of technologically advanced communication, ignorance of human rights abuses is no excuse. We know there are persecuted Christians in China, there is genocide in Darfur, and there are babies aborted and women and families devastated right in our
own communities. “But I can’t save them all” you say. God isn’t asking you to. He has equipped each of us with time, talent, and treas?ure to do what we can when He pro?
vides the opportunity. He has given us His Holy Spirit to em?power us as we abide in Him. He is ask?ing us to be on His side in speaking out and protecting those who can’t protect themselves.
When we are obedient to His calling to get in on the work He is doing, we will experience intimacy with Him in a whole new way. Our faith will increase as we see God at work! You have responded to His call during this 40 Days for Life campaign. Let your efforts be for His pleasure and His purposes. Pray without ceasing!
Prayer: God Almighty, we pray for continued guidance and strength as we intercede on behalf of the young women and their babies who are stumbling to the
slaughter. Open the eyes of the mother’s heart to see her child as you do ? a precious gift
to be treasured. Let her feel Your loving arms around her and may she be assured that you have a plan and a future for her and her
child. Give her reason not to enter the abor?tion clinic. Give her wisdom and dis?cernment to find life options through a local pregnancy care center and may she boldly choose life. Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayer. Because of Your Son’s sacrifice we pray, amen.
©2008 — 40 Days for Life, Inc.
Devotional for Day 26, March 22, 2009 Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
Intention: Pray that we fully recognize in the un?born child our brother, our sister, and we recommit ourselves to care for them.
Scripture: Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”
— Genesis 4:810
Reflection: After Cain committed the first murder in human history, God asked him, “Where is your brother?” He replied by
saying, “I don’t know.” In 1973, the Supreme Court was asked the same question, and gave the same answer. Unable to admit that the unborn chil?dren are our brothers and sisters, the Supreme Court said in its Roe v. Wade ruling, “We need not resolve the diffi?cult question of when life begins.” Boil all that down to three words, and it’s, “I don’t know.”
The question, “Where is your brother?” will be asked at the final judgment. Each person will answer it and be judged by it. May we be judged to have recognized and loved all our brothers
and sisters, born and unborn. By participating in the 40 Days for Life, we have been answering that question each day, going to where our brothers and sisters are killed, and proclaiming that we have a responsibility to them. By all the pro?life work we will con?tinue to do, we likewise answer that question which reaches from one end of human history to the other.
Prayer: Father, today we hear your voice, and we respond to the question you ask each of us: “Where is your brother?” We recognize in the unborn child our brother, our sister, and we recommit ourselves today to care for them. Yes, Father, you have entrusted us to the care of one another. We rejoice that you have given us the grace to respond. As we work to renew our culture, we look forward to the great day of the coming of your Son, when every eye will see him, even of those who pierced him, and every knee shall bend, and every tongue confess, to the glory of God the Father, that Jesus Christ is Lord! Amen.
Daily Devotionals