Life

There was a time in the history of the United States when the decision to have an abortion was not a public debate. Not only was it illegal, but it was such an intimate topic that individuals did not want to draw attention to it. Fast forward to 2020; today, abortion is a public dialog, a political debate, a big business, a freedom to celebrate, and a mother’s choice.
 
What happened over the last fifty years? Did God have a change of mind about the procedure? Does He feel differently about His command, “You shall not murder” (ESV, Ex 20:13)? The Sixth Commandment prohibits man-slaughter; it illustrates the high priority God places on human life. One human being should not take the life of another human being because God created that life and stamped His own image upon him or her (see: Gen 1:27).
 
As a Christian, I want to live in such a way that I am completely pro-life. God’s image stamped on every human being shapes how I view war, economics, public policy, sexuality, adoption, and abortion. When a person decides to follow Jesus, they cannot afford to put their minds on cruise control. Instead, Christians are thinkers. Every Christian must form a world view that is consistent with their faith in Christ.
 
For me, “Marches for Life” and “Sanctity of Life Sundays” are events that simultaneously bring joy and sorrow. Joy, because God creates and sustains life. He is so good to allow parents the privilege of raising children to His glory. But there is sorrow when I am made aware of the statistics. Since 1973, over 61,628,580 abortion deaths have occurred in the United States according to the National Right to Life website. Think about that number for a minute. The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I and II, Korea and Vietnam produced 1,160,581 horrible deaths of American soldiers. Abortions have taken over five times more human lives!
 
One of my favorite Psalms by King David is Psalm 139:13-16.
 
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
 
This has to be one of the greatest passages in all of literature about the miracle of the conception and birth of a human being. David makes it clear that God is present during every person’s prenatal formation. He makes every person in His image and gives him or her a particular purpose for life.
 
Will you join with me in prayer to end the horrible practice of abortion? Will you pray for the mothers who are making the tough decision to carry their babies to full-term? Will you pray that the slick advertising of those trying to bring harm to pre-born children in the womb will end? Will you pray that everyone will value life over personal freedom of choice, over political inclination, and the pursuit of self-centered purposes.