When our nation is torn with political issues that leave countless men, women and children in need, no matter our political or financial status, we can always empower one another, and our nation, through pro-life prayer.
I have a strong suspicion that I reflect on my childhood more than the average person. I’m unsure why I have made my memories of my distant past such a valuable priority in my life. The sweet memories of my earlier days have always brought so much joy to the present moment. Of course, there are memories that bring the opposite of joy. Some memories strike shame and sorrow.
For me, certain “surprises” throughout my past have immortalized certain memories. To name a few, I distinctly remember the surprise of having grandparents spontaneously show up at sports games. I remember performing abnormally well in my 4th-grade spelling bee and my parents sitting me down with excitement to tell me I would be a big brother
For whatever reason, the concept of a “surprise” usually indicates a lasting memory. However, as we have all experienced in this broken world, there are negative surprises that startle us in our routine. When I was in Elementary school, I remember attending a civil rights museum in Dallas, Texas. As I walked through the museum next to my best friend, who was African American, my eyes opened to the horrors of our long, violent history.
I was surprised.
As a young, pro-life advocate who believed in the power of prayer, I began to pray over our nation. I remember feeling the world’s weight on my shoulders and a distinct illness crash over me as I contemplated evil. My prayers were for that of our nation and that all people in it would be treated with kindness. The eye-opening surprise of evil drove me to sorrow and intercession.
Today, as a 22-year-old young man, I reflect on our world that is filled with great fear and anguish. And I can genuinely say, when I see and hear the celebration of abortion in our land, I am surprised. Consequently, I feel the same feeling I did as I walked through the civil rights museum as a young child: heavy, burdened, angry. Most of all, when I reflect on the injustice of abortion, I am drawn to pro-life prayer, to commune with Jesus and plead that He brings healing to fearful women and vulnerable children.
So, I pray. I pray with others who are passionate about seeing Jesus bring healing to our land. When praying, I join with my church, my coworkers, my family, and my friends.
Martin Luther King Jr., being perhaps the most influential leader throughout the civil rights movement, profoundly prayed the following words unto the Lord in the height of profound injustice:
“O God, we thank Thee for Thy Church, founded upon Thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon Thee… Help us to realize that man was created to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow, will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen.”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Prayer was that the world would wake up to see that we are all God’s children no matter our race, age, or gender. We should pray the same prayer today, and we should pray over the injustice toward the unborn in our hour.
David consistently prayed honest prayers to God, released in times of sorrow and joy. In Psalm 12, David pens his prayer during Saul’s reign over Israel. During that particular moment, there was deep corruption in the courts and leadership of the Holy Land. David was a victim of this injustice, and he endured through honest, sincere and passionate prayer to God.
1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
When we are surprised by evil, we must pray fervently. When we face injustice, we must pray like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., like King David of Israel. Abortion is a horrific injustice, a wound on our nation that we can heal only with love and pro-life prayer.
The post Pro-Life Prayer: A Response to Surprising Injustice appeared first on Focus on the Family.
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When Sorrow Leads to Prayer
I have a strong suspicion that I reflect on my childhood more than the average person. I’m unsure why I have made my memories of my distant past such a valuable priority in my life. The sweet memories of my earlier days have always brought so much joy to the present moment. Of course, there are memories that bring the opposite of joy. Some memories strike shame and sorrow.
For me, certain “surprises” throughout my past have immortalized certain memories. To name a few, I distinctly remember the surprise of having grandparents spontaneously show up at sports games. I remember performing abnormally well in my 4th-grade spelling bee and my parents sitting me down with excitement to tell me I would be a big brother
For whatever reason, the concept of a “surprise” usually indicates a lasting memory. However, as we have all experienced in this broken world, there are negative surprises that startle us in our routine. When I was in Elementary school, I remember attending a civil rights museum in Dallas, Texas. As I walked through the museum next to my best friend, who was African American, my eyes opened to the horrors of our long, violent history.
I was surprised.
As a young, pro-life advocate who believed in the power of prayer, I began to pray over our nation. I remember feeling the world’s weight on my shoulders and a distinct illness crash over me as I contemplated evil. My prayers were for that of our nation and that all people in it would be treated with kindness. The eye-opening surprise of evil drove me to sorrow and intercession.
Abortion and Pro-Life Prayer
Today, as a 22-year-old young man, I reflect on our world that is filled with great fear and anguish. And I can genuinely say, when I see and hear the celebration of abortion in our land, I am surprised. Consequently, I feel the same feeling I did as I walked through the civil rights museum as a young child: heavy, burdened, angry. Most of all, when I reflect on the injustice of abortion, I am drawn to pro-life prayer, to commune with Jesus and plead that He brings healing to fearful women and vulnerable children.
So, I pray. I pray with others who are passionate about seeing Jesus bring healing to our land. When praying, I join with my church, my coworkers, my family, and my friends.
MLK's Prayer
Martin Luther King Jr., being perhaps the most influential leader throughout the civil rights movement, profoundly prayed the following words unto the Lord in the height of profound injustice:
“O God, we thank Thee for Thy Church, founded upon Thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon Thee… Help us to realize that man was created to shine like the stars and live on through all eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace, help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow, will rejoice in one common band of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen.”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Prayer was that the world would wake up to see that we are all God’s children no matter our race, age, or gender. We should pray the same prayer today, and we should pray over the injustice toward the unborn in our hour.
More Articles on Advocating with Love:
- Praying with Honest Abandon
- Loving Women Even When They Choose Abortion
- What is the Right to Peaceful Protest
King David's Prayer
David consistently prayed honest prayers to God, released in times of sorrow and joy. In Psalm 12, David pens his prayer during Saul’s reign over Israel. During that particular moment, there was deep corruption in the courts and leadership of the Holy Land. David was a victim of this injustice, and he endured through honest, sincere and passionate prayer to God.
Psalm 12 (NLT)
1 Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing!
The faithful have vanished from the earth!
2 Neighbors lie to each other,
speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
3 May the Lord cut off their flattering lips
and silence their boastful tongues.
4 They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content.
Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
5 The Lord replies, “I have seen violence done to the helpless,
and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
as they have longed for me to do.”
6 The Lord’s promises are pure,
like silver refined in a furnace,
purified seven times over.
7 Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed,
preserving them forever from this lying generation,
8 even though the wicked strut about,
and evil is praised throughout the land.
Join Us In Pro-Life Prayer
When we are surprised by evil, we must pray fervently. When we face injustice, we must pray like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., like King David of Israel. Abortion is a horrific injustice, a wound on our nation that we can heal only with love and pro-life prayer.
The post Pro-Life Prayer: A Response to Surprising Injustice appeared first on Focus on the Family.
Continue reading...