March 9, 2009
God is amazing, and He continues to shower blessing
after blessing upon this 40 Days for Life campaign.
Since this initiative began just 13 days ago in 135
cities across 43 states, Canada, Australia, and
Northern Ireland, the number of confirmed reports of
lives saved from abortion has already climbed to...
...92!!
(And those are just the ones we know about!)
Here are a few of the inspiring stories...
Susan in Houston says she's on cloud nine. And she
should be -- because by answering God's call to pray
at the 40 Days for Life vigil, she was in the right
place at the right time.
"I was standing outside of the Planned Parenthood
facility," she said, "about to light my vigil candle
in the dark, when I noticed a young girl walking down
the sidewalk. I thought she might be homeless because
she was carrying her pillow and quilt."
Susan asked if she needed some help and the girl said
no, but Susan suggested she go to the pro-life
pregnancy resource center around the corner. The girl
thanked her, but said her mom and dad wanted her to
have an abortion.
She told Susan she was afraid she would be kicked out
of her house if she didn't follow through with this.
Susan saw an opening when she asked this frightened
teen what SHE really wanted. "I don't want to have an
abortion," the young woman told her. "I would like to
have the baby and give it up for adoption." Susan
explained that she's seen a lot of coercion from
parents who think abortion is the best option.
So Susan asked the young girl, "How about seeing what
your options are? You have plenty of time before the
abortionist shows up. Would you like me to walk with
you to the pregnancy center?" She agreed. "Thank the
Lord for using me to do good!"
Bev in Orange, California says she really needs to
learn more Spanish. But the Spanish literature her
40 Days for Life team keeps at their vigil site was
all the help she needed when a young Hispanic couple
drove into the parking lot at Planned Parenthood.
"The woman was obviously crying," she said. "The
driver rolled down the window and took my Spanish
material with local phone numbers of pro-life centers.
I kept saying, 'We'll help! We'll help!' I couldn't
remember any Spanish."
At any rate, the couple drove into the parking lot,
made a U-turn and came back out. As they drove away
from Planned Parenthood, the woman rolled down her
window and was smiling. "All I could say," Bev added,
"was 'God bless you. '"
Paula in Abilene, Texas reported a life saved.
Her 40 Days for Life team feels blessed after a young
woman went into Planned Parenthood with the intention
of having an abortion. "She soon came out and told one
of our volunteers with tears in her eyes, that after
seeing all of us out there praying and sacrificing,
she had changed her mind and decided to keep her
baby," said Paula. "We are all so very excited and
thankful to God."
These victories belong to God, but YOU share in all of
them due to your prayers and faithful efforts. From
the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Today's devotional was prepared for you by Dennis
DiMauro of Lutherans for Life...
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DAY 13 INTENTION
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We pray for the strength to love those who do not
love us.
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SCRIPTURE
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But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for
which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which
came up in the night and perished in the night. And
should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which
are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot discern between their right hand and their
left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned
about that great city?"
-- Jonah 4:10-11
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REFLECTION by Dennis DiMauro, Lutherans for Life
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God doesn't value people and things like we do.
Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of
sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist.
We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the
road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a
child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.
But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans
were the capstone of God's creation.
We were created on the sixth day after God had
completed the land, the stars, the plants and the
animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than
His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created
thing.
And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the
most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His
merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all
of his created children: that desperate teenager, the
baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists.
So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by
helping and praying for those who persecute us, and
those who don't love us back.
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PRAYER
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Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of
most difficult things you could ask of us.
Please remind us that this is how you love and that if
you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do
it. This we ask through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/spring2009day13print.pdf
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How many more lives will be saved over the next 27
days of this campaign thanks to you, John?
I can't wait to find out! :-)
Yours For Life,
David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life
P.S.- Yesterday I got back from speaking at events in
Corpus Christi, Texas, and while driving home from the
airport I spoke with Shawn Carney on the phone and
heard amazing reports from his trip to Colorado over
the last couple of days. We are seeing unprecedented
levels of excitement and involvement all over the
country, and both feel that the best is yet to come!