The Gift of Life

History casts a dark shadow over this day:  It was on January 22, 1973, that the U. S. Supreme Court pointed our nation down a path that has resulted, so far, in 61 million abortions.  It is hard to grasp the magnitude of our national loss in the post-Roe-v-Wade era.  Consider some numbers:  three thousand people died on 9/11, and it would take over 20,000 repetitions of that dreadful day to equal the casualties from abortion in the USA since 1973.  That translates into a new 9/11 every day for 55 years.  Lord, have mercy.

A few pressing facts must be kept in mind as we ponder such devastating loss:

1. Abortion is an attack on what God is forming (Psalm 139:13-16); it is action taken in opposition to the creative handiwork of the Lord.  Can there be a more serious step than to take one's stand against God as he forms a person in his own image (Genesis 1:26-27)?
2. Still, abortion is not an unforgivable sin.  To any and all (e.g., fathers, mothers, practitioners) who come to Jesus in repentance and faith, the gift of mercy is offered freely (1 John 1:9)—God’s amazing grace! There is hope.
3. Honoring God as creator and giver of life means that believers should be pro-life in a consistent way—i.e., not just pro-life for the good of the unborn, but also pro-life toward the born (both baby and parents), along with all of the related implications regarding adoption, foster care, opposition to poverty, confronting human trafficking, protection of the environment, and any other form of pro-life neighbor-love (Matthew 22:37-40).

Take time to read, listen, and reflect on resources that affirm the sanctity of human life, such as the following:

• A big-picture biblical overview of the issues around abortion:  John Piper, Ten reasons why it is wrong to take the life of unborn children
• Jackie Hill Perry, To a woman considering abortion
• Brett McCracken, Why pro-choice movies are so rare
• ERLC report, Seven of the most important abortion stories of the decade
• The March for Life (taking place in Washington this Friday)
• An ERLC panel, The church and the orphan crisis
• And make sure to read Jared Mulvihill's story of his four-year-old son, A fragile life worth all our love

I join you in prayer to the Lord of life for the advance of his grand cause of life—both here and now, and in eternity.