DAY 12: It's a God thing

From Shawn Carney
Campaign Director

God's divine providence often works through the people He places in our lives. Sometimes, they cross our paths because they need help. Sometimes, it’s to say thank you. Sometimes, it’s to help plant seeds.

The stories are all different, but they all point to one thing. They show God's grace at work.

 

Abuja, Nigeria

40 Days for Life started in the United States, but Robert Colquhoun, 40 Days for Life's international outreach director, first saw the campaign in Canada. When he went back home to England, Robert brought 40 Days for Life with him.

Sometime later, it was in England that Kelechi Anyaghara first saw 40 Days for Life -- and then she helped get it started in her home country of Nigeria.

Got all that? It was through all those connections that volunteers in Nigeria got to meet someone special recently -- a newborn whose mother decided against abortion during the first 40 Days for Life campaign in Abuja. 

40 Days for Life volunteers in England heard the news and sent along some baby gifts -- and in turn they received a photo of the baby girl, whose mother named her Perseverance.

Tempe, Arizona

A man walked up to 40 Days for Life vigil participants outside Planned Parenthood in Tempe and said, "This is a God thing that you are here today." He was from the Midwest, and in town to visit his son at the local university.

He quickly got to the reason why he'd stopped. As a teenager, his daughter had an abortion at Planned Parenthood -- without his knowledge or consent. No one from Planned Parenthood ever contacted him. He has carried the grief for 15 years.

"We talked about how he lost a grandchild," said Lisa in Tempe, "and I asked if we could keep them in prayer. Yes was his answer."

They then talked about the local pregnancy help center. He took information to share with his son and his son's friends -- then offered a donation for the pregnancy center.

"A simple kindness," Lisa said. "Thank you, Lord!"

Vancouver, Washington

Ed says a young woman approached the vigil in Vancouver to thank the volunteers for being there. She had driven by many times, but finally decided to stop and share her story.

When she was pregnant, her doctor said there was something wrong with her baby and recommended abortion. She reluctantly agreed.

When she arrived for her appointment, she saw people outside praying. "She told us that she was scared but decided to keep her baby," Ed explained. "She now has a perfectly healthy 18-month-old baby boy."

She said she couldn't imagine life without her son.


Here's today's devotional from Kevin Burke, executive director of Rachel's Vineyard Ministries...

Day 12 intention

May the King of the Universe, who entered this world as a helpless infant, give us the humility to be healed.

Scripture

My power is made perfect in weakness.

--2 Corinthians 12:9

Reflection by Kevin Burke

The great mystery of the Humility of God is very near and dear to the mission of those serving in pro life and in a special way, post abortion ministries across this nation.

For those wounded by their participation in abortion, the door to healing often feels like crossing an abyss of great fear: fear of judgment, fear of being torn apart by the pain, by self hatred and rage at those who hurt and abandoned you, and manipulated you in your time of temptation.

For men in particular, entering the unknown waters of emotional vulnerability, so necessary to healing calls for a different kind of courage that feels deceptively like weakness.

The door to healing is humility. It is born in the inability to no longer control the pain, to live with the consequences of that tragic decision to reject life. The hearts cries out, "I have committed a grave offense against my Creator and I am consumed by regret, grief and sorrow!"

During these forty days let us pray for all who have participated in abortion and with love call them to healing and reconciliation. With healing these women and men can become as John Paul II proclaimed in the Gospel of Life, "the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life."

Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). To bear the greatest fruit, the branches must be pruned. Each level of pruning of the vine requires a deeper level of humility so that we can abandon ourselves to His will.

This is not a lofty theological concept as much as it is an earthy experience of pulling weeds, tilling rocky soil, pruning and healing the vines. "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps" (Matthew 16:24).

Prayer

Lord, during these forty days, we ask that with each day of this sacred vigil, everything in us that separates us from your perfect will would be pruned from our hearts and souls.

In this blessed freedom may we experience a powerful anointing of your Holy Spirit. Filled with confidence and trust may we proclaim with the mother of Jesus, "Let it be done to me, according to your Word."

Printable devotional

To download today's devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2013day12print.pdf